Signed, mL
by RadaVonVon
Summary: Really. Who names their child Mariko Beyond Lawliet? How stupid is that?
1. Lawliet

_"Princess, Princess, _

_Why do you cry?_

_In a forest painted by the setting sun,_

_I made a promise to the demon boy…_

_That when the full moon ascends the sky in ten,_

_I'll become his bride._

_Princess, Princess,_

_Why do you laugh?_

_Behind a wall of bamboo blinds,_

_The minister explains that_

_He'll hide and protect me,_

_Just as clouds do the moon in a hazy sky._

_Princess, Princess,_

_Why are you scared?_

_In the far-off reaches of the highest mountains,_

_I hear the cries of the demon boy_

_That if Women are truly as fickle as the phases of the moon,_

_Then surely I shall capture and devour her."_

_-- "Crescent Moon" With art by Haruko Iida and story by Takamura Matsuda/Red Entertainment_

The chiming of the bells was a beautiful noise. The chirping of the birds.

The…

Honking?

It was repetitive.

And it was long.

It lasted for so long, that her eyelids fell down slightly.

It sounded like a lullaby.

A beautiful, quiet, lullaby. And so nice… Then it was silent.

And a long, drawling honk pierced through the serenity of the moment.

The fear, the urge to scream, the urge to jump, was so great, that her lips parted, and a loud screeching noise sounded.

But it wasn't her.

One of the cars had screeched to a stop, the brakes squealing, and had completely rammed into the side of the other car.

Shouts, honks, and sirens soon flooded her ears.

And then, she could move.

Just like that.

It started out as a hand just barely moving, then, it accelerated.

She was laying on concrete.

It was dark.

And she was holding something.

She shoved herself up, eyes squinted.

And lifted up her hand.

It was a piece of cardboard.

And by just the little bit of light that there was in the alley, she could make out the word. The single word, that was etched out onto it.

_Mariko._

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Good morning, Mr. Walker!"

The girl's musical voice echoed throughout the empty lobby of the motel.

The lobby was void of people except for a gray-haired man behind the counter and the young girl.

"Good morning, Mariko." The old man was wiping off the counter. "I trust you had a nice night?"

"Yes, Sir." Mariko said with a small smile. "I still… I still can't thank you enough." She said with a sigh, grabbing a broom out of a small linen closet in the lobby.

"Oh, it's fine. I still wish you would let me pay you more and let the room be free."

Mariko shook her head quietly, though her pale cheeks reddened slightly. "I… I'd rather work for it. And it's fine!"

"But you shouldn't have to pay for food…"

"Again, Sir, I won't trouble you with that." Mariko mumbled, sighing quietly.

"But you're a child. I just don't like the idea of a child working here for one-fifty an hour…"

Mariko sighed. "Mr. Walker…" She glanced up at the man pleadingly. It was almost the universal code for, 'Don't trouble me any longer.'

The old man sighed. "I'm sorry, I just worry…"

He trailed off just as the TV from behind the lobby sounded.

"_The serial killer known as BB has committed another murder today."_

Mariko looked up from her sweeping. "Argh, another murder? By the same guy?"

Mr. Walker sighed. "When I was a child, we didn't have to worry about serial killers running around. We only had to worry about how fast we could go on our bikes and if we had enough money to buy that new racecar model."

Mariko sighed. "But it isn't the 'good old days' any longer…"

"Oh, we open in five minutes."

"Oh, uh, yes!"

Mariko dashed over the front and opened the door, propping them open with two doorstops. They slid several times, and she finally kicked them under the doors ferociously.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

The rest of the day passed, well… Normally.

People were chattering about the new BB murder, of course. But it didn't matter too much.

After all, this was Portland. Who was going to care? It was all the way across the country. Who would be scared?

Unless you had double initials. That would be a little worrying, but only one out of every forty-six people had those.

Only a few people came in.

Two were mothers with young children, five were couples, and four were just normal people coming in for a stay.

Of course, it wasn't quite Christmas yet.

Mr. Walker had offered a raise after Christmas, and she was considering his offer.

He had raised it a dollar. To 2.50.

She still wasn't sure if she wanted to accept it or not. The poor old man was doing enough by simply allowing her to have a room at the motel.

He had offered countless times to let her stay at his home. Let her have dinner with him… Let her sleep in the spare room…

Let her eat his food.

Let her take room in his house.

Let her go to school… Let her study and learn…

Let her take up his time to pick her up and drop her off.

Let her waste the leisure time he had by asking for help with homework.

No. There was no way.

But she could use the raise, despite how much her conscience nagged at her.

She secretly joked with herself that she was trying to act accordingly to her name, every time she walked down the aisle in the Wal-Mart, looking for the ramen that was on sale.

Yes, ramen can go on sale.

Every once in a while, she would get something decent. She could get some carrots, maybe celery, if they were on sale.

Someone could easily say that this was illegal, but in truth, she was pretty much volunteering. Although Mr. Walker always insisted on something, she always turned him down.

He always offered to just give her ten dollars an hour for doing absolutely nothing. But she always said no.

So she was really just volunteering.

And there was no law in Maine that said someone couldn't help out. Plenty of girl scout troops younger than Mariko did it.

Of course, those troops were all lead by grown adults. Who supervised. And the girls didn't live in the motel rooms. But did it really matter?

It was still 'volunteering,' regardless.

And so she ended day after tiring day, sweeping floors, cleaning windows, sometimes even helping out at the front desk.

This particular day seemed a little bit different to her. Well, not until she walked into her room, to find the sliding glass door open, curtains flowing in the winter breeze. She walked over to the crude, small desk that had come with the room, and stared at the piece of cardboard sitting on the desk, the letters scratched out next to the other piece.

_Lawliet._

She stared, rolling the name out on her tongue.

Then a laugh sounded behind her.

She spun around, then found herself face-to-face with a Shinigami.

**Oh my God!**

**It's someone reading this page!**

**-Spazzes out-**

**Arigatou for reading this far! Okay, sorry. I spazzed.**

**I've been working on this fic for a while as far as plot development ect.**

**And I'd like to thank the following people for their AMAZING contributions! This would not be possible at all without you guys!:**

**Silverstreek904, Invader Black, TallesBlue, and of Neopets… TNThatesReno!**

**You guys are all awesome in different ways, and this really wouldn't be possible without you!**

**Uh, lessee…**

**If you were brought here by the trailer, our contributors were:**

**TallestBlue - Mariko**

**Invader Black - L and Beyond Birthday**

**Camera - xD Yes, I contributed.**

**Lesse, the trailer won't be up before this chapter, I'm afraid, so if you really wanna see it, you're just gonna have to subscribe to Shashanyaara on YouTube and wait. **

**Once the trailer is actually made, I'll have the full cast in the description of the video.**

**Thank you to everyone who has helped me! You guys rock!**


	2. Ryuk

She gasped.

"R… Ryuk! You idiot!" She cried out, nearly breaking into tears. "Y-you scared me!" She shouted, nearly snarling.

"I hate you!" The girl cried out, half-crying.

"Geez, Mariko." The Shinigami shook his head and sighed. "Hate is a strong word."

Mariko finally wiped her eyes and sighed, giving herself a chance to look up at the Death God's terrible face.

The twisted-up grin, the crooked, sharp, shark-like teeth, and his bulging eyes.

Finally, she sighed once again..

"You're such an idiot." She mumbled, sitting down on the couch.

"Oye, not my fault." Ryuk stated. "After all, you're the one who didn't expect me."

"Am I supposed to?" Mariko crossed her arms.

"… Maybe."

She sighed and picked up the old remote laying on the coffee table. "… BB killed someone else today. Some girl named Quarter Queen… She was thirteen."

"… And?"

Mariko sighed. "Ryuk, you're so insensitive sometimes! Can't you be slightly compassionate towards someone other than yourself?"

"Eh. Whatever. I'm hungry, I'm getting apples."

"… It's 2003. You know that there are better things than apples now, right?" She offered, not-so-mildly.

"… Hm? 2003? Already?" He asked, throwing an apple up in the air and catching it in his mouth.

"… No comment."

Mariko sighed and shook her head. "… So…" She looked at the piece of cardboard on the desk. "… This is my last name? La…"

"Lawliet." Ryuk sighed. "I'm taking pity on you, alright? I want a little action."

"Awww! That's so sweet! Mariko said, grinning. She was quite aware this would annoy the Death God to no end.

Ryuk narrowed his eyes and the fruit-cocktail-y comment.

"… So my name is Mariko Beyond Lawliet?"

Ryuk nodded ever-so-slightly. "… Yes." He said nothing more.

"Hrn." She sighed. "Well, I can use this. I'm off to the library." She informed, walking out the door without another word.

~x~

"Lawliet… Lawliet…" Tired eyes scanned the computer screen. Tired hands moved along the keyboard. A tired Mariko constantly checked through the money, making sure she had enough for each printout, making sure everything was right…

And all in all, an exhausted girl walked back to the small hotel in Portland.

She had looked through all search results for Lawliet, right down to the very last webpage.

And she might be right.

Mariko held up a single sheet of paper, staring at it with half-lidded eyes. The headline was written out in huge letters:

**THE MOST SECRETIVE MAN IN THE WORLD?**

She had stared at it for a long time back in the library.

It was spewing something about L, the same detective after BB.

She wearily glanced up at the date.

September 4th, 1996.

It was saying something about how many cases he had solved and why he wants to receive no credit among anyone.

About halfway through, it discussed something about education then personal life.

Then it all turned out to be absolutely disclosed.

That completely eluded her.

Why someone would write an article if they had no idea what they were discussing.

The strange part was, it didn't say Lawliet anywhere.

She sighed, and, though it didn't help, had printed it out anyway.

With that, a very, very, very tired girl walked up to her hotel room, shut the door, and fell asleep on the couch.

~x~

Even if something was terribly wrong, Near always enjoyed getting out of the House.

The Whammy House.

Taking a vacation was always a big deal for him, even if he absolutely and positively had to wear shoes.

Which was why L.A. was so nice.

Warm, no humidity, being outside.

It was rather nicer than London.

Even if a maniac schizophrenic killer was on the loose.

Everyone had decided that the top three children, (Matt, Mello, and Near, quite obviously.) would go to L.A. If L had to go, his successors had to go.

The only downside was that Mello had to go.

Mello was an absolute twit.

"… Wow." Mello sighed behind Near, staring up at one of the highrises in downtown.

"This is amazing."

Near sighed, not commenting.

"Oye, what are you complaining about?" Mello snarled.

That was another thing. Mello was rather compulsive.

"…" Near said nothing, shutting his eyes and sighing again.

Matt snickered. "Cat gotcher tongue?"

"… Matt, we all understand you just so happen to be from New York. Please stop the fake accent."

Silence escaped the rest of the group.

Near somewhat wished that he had some opportunity to make their vacation in themselves a living Hell.

Though the opportunity most likely would not come, it still amused him to think of everything he could do to mess with them.

Maybe even put marijuana in Matt's cigarettes.

And blame it on Mello.

**Okay, you guys. **

**We have a problem. **

**We need a Near cosplayer for our trailer. **

**If you have a wig, or just a short white wig, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE send me a message.**

**I need a video of you in costume shouting, "Mariko-saaaaaan!"**

**Long story. xD **

**Er, please send me a PM. You will get full and absolute credit. ^.^**

**Please remember, no other people in the shot. If you can, film it on a street that isn't usually busy. **

**Other people besides you may enter, so please don't be offended if you aren't picked. **

**I don't care if you're a girl. You just may be better if you're younger.**

**Someone 10-15 would do better than someone 25. **

**If you have younger siblings, please try to get a video of them, too.**

**Anyway, please enter! 8D**

**~Rem**

**PS - I forgot to mention, I don't own Death Note. Even though I could be Rem's Japanese Voice Actor if I speak in a monotone. But nooooo. I don't. Sadly. D: This goes for the first chapter, and the rest of this fan fiction.**


	3. Sight

Mariko's eyes snapped open.

"… Oh my god."

That was it.

It was perfect. An absolute definite.

L had to be related to her some way.

She knew where to go.

She stood up immediately, not bothering to make the bed.

Today was Sunday.

No matter what, Mr. Walker had never allowed her to work on Sunday.

"It's a day for rest." He had pushed, no matter how many times she tried to convince him that she needed to work on Sundays.

"Then I'll give you double pay on Sundays." He had argued.

She had sighed, and after a bunch of back-and-forth arguing between the two, (Mariko keeping her respectful tone, of course.) Mr. Walker had won the fight.

The nice old man was very hard to yell that.

She stood up and emptied a jar on the desk counter.

"Twenty… Fourty…"

Several more minutes of counting and mumbling, it all added up to two-hundred and eighty four dollars.

That wasn't enough for round-trip, not when you considered hotel and food expenses.

She sighed.

What if this didn't work?

It had to work. She'd lived on the streets before in Portland, if she could do it in Portland, she could do it there.

There wasn't much to pack.

Her wardrobe, (Mariko being next to homeless, of course.) was rather limited. Two sweaters, three shirts, and two pairs of pants.

She shoved them into her old beaten-up backpack. This would work as a carry-on, wouldn't it?

Okay, so no baggage fee.

She ran down the hallway and the stairs. Mr. Walker was just finishing up dusting one of the shelves.

She finished running down the stairs.

"Sir, can I get a ride to the airport? I need to pick someone up."

~x~

The ride was smooth and quiet. She quickly picked up the tickets and ran outside briefly.

"Thank you so much. I'll get a taxi home." She almost slammed the door behind her and dashed into the airport, leaving the stunned old man behind her.

"Just exactly what are you doing?" Came Ryuk's sigh.

Mariko glanced briefly behind her. _Figuring something out. _She thought.

"… Alright, whatever you say." The Shinigami drifted back behind her as she trudged through all the required paperwork and such, (Though she may have skimped on the age, calling herself sixteen. Being tall and mature-looking, the lady almost didn't believe her, but she finally agreed.)

She pushed the dollar bills and change forward. The woman stared blankly, though accepted it.

"Now here's your boarding pass and-"

"Okay, thank you!" She had snatched it out of the woman's hand and dashed away, thrashing through security, taking off her shoes, and almost every other possible action that can be taken to quickly get through an airport until she was sighting, leaning back in her chair, her head back against the chair, on her way to Los Angeles.

~x~

There was music.

Then there was color.

Then there was beauty.

Then it was quiet.

Then it was dark.

Then it was terrifying.

Then it was peaceful.

Then it was frightening.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, please buckle your seatbelts for descent." _

Mariko jumped awake.

She had been sitting next to a rather young hawk-nosed woman. The woman gave her a rather half-irritated, nasty look, and she only sighed and opened the window.

Whoah.

Despite all the interesting things she'd seen in Portland, she'd never, ever, ever seen such a view.

Mountains on all sides, only the slightest of cloud cover as the plane slowly descended.

"… Wow…"

The raven stared out the window, eyes wide, the light hitting them just perfectly so that red crescent moons hugging her pupil were visible.

The woman she was sitting next to stared at her blankly, eyes wide.

"Huh. I hadn't noticed."

She almost jumped at the voice.

Ryuk's voice.

… _WHAT? Jeez. You almost gave me a heart attack._

"You're eyes. You're getting them."

_What?_

A sigh.

"When I possessed you, there was a nice big hunk of your memory missing. You know that I can see your name and lifespan? Since I've taken up that big hunk of memory, so have my eyes. Considering you're a child, and not an adult, meaning ten years have been taken up, there's only enough room for… Hm. Maybe the first initial?"

Blink.

_What the h- _"URGH!"

Caught up in the moment, Mariko had failed to notice that the airplane was getting closer and closer to the ground. She was jerked forward, and abruptly stopped by her seatbelt.

Ugh…

That had _not _felt good.

… _So how long until I see stuff?_

"… Maybe tomorrow morning?"

She sighed.

Great.

She Shinigami world just loved her, didn't they?

Mariko opened her eyes, closed the window, turned on the air conditioning above her head, waited for the plane to stop taxiing and let herself be the last one off.

Now she had several things to worry about: Where to go, when she'd start seeing a random letter above people's heads, and what she was going to do now.

There was a slight ache in her stomach.

Mariko wanted to go home.

**A warning here, I included this in the summary, but this **_**will **_**include rape (I will let you know when I have more of an idea how heavy on a scale of 1-10), obsession, and older shota(sixteen), romance, violence, and blood. And a lot of concepts that a lot of kids under ten may not understand or comprehend, such as abandonment, hate, amnesia, death, (As I said,) obsession, murder, ect.**

**This fan fiction spans over a period of six-seven years. From 2003-2009. If you don't like time jumps of three years or so, stop reading now.**

**Please review and let everyone you know that likes Death Note about this!**

**Thanks to everyone! 8D**

**--Rem**


	4. Backup

**Hey, you readers from Spain and Argentina!**

**Review? DX PLEASE. Everyone please review. I LIKE REVIEWS. DX THEY'RE NICE.**

**It lets me know that you like this story.**

**If you don't review, I may stop writing this. So please review.**

Thank youuu!

"Kyahahaha…"

A laugh escaped him.

It was a crazy laugh.

It was an insane laugh.

He loved blood.

He wasn't a vampire, although he was often mistaken for one.

He absolutely and utterly loved blood. The smell. The look.

The _taste._

"Hahahaha…. Kya…. KYAHAHAHA!" He laughed a half-scream at the body before him, nailing the Wara Ningyo to the walls.

The wicked doll.

It wasn't the fact that he _was _Japanese.

It was the fact that the legend behind the Wara Ningyo amused him.

"Dead… Dead… Hehe…"

Beyond Birthday laughed.

"Deeeaaaadddd~!" Beyond sang, scarlet eyes flashing.

"Dead to meeeeee~!"

A laugh escaped the psychopath as he dragged his tongue down the knife he had just used to murder his victim.

The unsolvable case!

The thought sent shivers down his spine.

Oh, if only he could see L's face.

His shocked expression. It was to never be solved.

"Kyeh…. Kyehe… Kyahahahaha!" Beyond began to laugh wildly again at the thought.

L.

Would.

Lose.

And Backup.

The one he had so hated and abused, the one he had never cared about.

Would win.

L only cared about himself.

The absolutely pointless system of the Whammy House had driven Beyond near insane.

Oopsies.

There was another.

_Near._

The new L.

It was almost more disgusting than L himself.

L was scum.

L was nothing.

L would be defeated.

With that last final thought, leaving the lovely stench of blood in the room, left on that note.

He would win.

L would lose.

"Kyahahaha!~"

~x~

The street.

It wasn't fun.

At least it was warmer than Portland.

But it was still pretty cold.

Silence escaped Mariko.

She sighed, sitting down on the corner of a building in the mixed racial part of town. Maybe it wasn't the best part.

She kept her beaten-up backpack strapped onto her shoulders and pressed against the wall. If anyone wanted to get into it, it'd wake her up.

She sighed and shut her eyes, trying to ignore the cold. It'd been a while since she had to sleep out on the street.

But that didn't make it fun.

At all.

It wasn't like some campout.

Tomorrow, she'd try to find a place to stay.

But at least tonight, she would try not to get mugged.

~x~

It wasn't the fact that the Beverly Hilton was not a nice hotel.

It was simply the fact that he had to share a room with Matt and Mello.

"Hey, what's your problem, twinkle toes?" Mello snarled, leaning across the couch and flicking Near on the nose.

Near glanced at him and sighed. "Mello, you happen to be slightly more feminine than I. If you wished to be more masculine, may I suggest getting a haircut?"

Mello looked like he'd been slapped in the face.

From Near's judgment, Mello would either slap him across the face, punch him, or lean back and sigh.

Mello sighed angrily and crossed his arms like a stubborn three-year-old getting a time-out.

Bingo.

Matt glanced at Mello, as if wondering if _he _should do something, but Mello shook his head ever-so-slightly.

There was a long moment of awkward silence in the room.

"Priss." Mello finally muttered, turning away.

Near was quiet, thoughtfully twirling a piece of his hair on the side of his head in a clockwise motion.

This was very, very, very annoying.

~x~

"… Watari."

"Yes?"

"Bring me more cake."

"Yes, L."

L shut his eyes.

Again.

Another murder.

Backup was out of control.

He was absolutely and utterly insane.

However, it didn't quite matter. L had another factor.

Naomi Misora.

She seemed quick-witted enough to perform the needed actions in order to capture Backup. That was, if his judgment was correct, which, in many cases, it was. So despite how much smarter Backup may believe he was, L was almost always going to be better.

Which was why his name was Backup.

B.

For Backup.

Even if the case was known as the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases (LABBMC), named after the culprit, the detective solving the case was L.

Him.

Backup was just that; a backup.

A copy of the original, a spare. Something that may never be used, but was kept on hand just in case. The original failed duty or became unusable.

However, that was the reason he had Near.

Backup was now unusable, a failed project. So now, the original continued work with another backup. Near, then Mello, then Matt.

Due to the fact that L was still usable, he did not need them yet, however.

L sighed.

Backup was being more persistent than usual.

Maybe he should call Misora and give her orders.

… No. As an FBI agent, she was intelligent enough to figure it out.

With a sigh, L accepted his cake and continued working.

**Just again, if you want me to continue writing this, hit the little review button beneath this text.**

**And type something in.**

**And hit submit.**

**Or I'll stop writing. --Rem**

**Apenas, si usted quisiera que continuara escribiendo esto, golpee otra vez el pequeño botón de revisión debajo de este texto.**

**Y tipo algo adentro. **

**Y sumbit golpeado.**

**O pararé el escribir. --Rem**

**Juste encore, si vous voulez que je continue d'écrire ceci, frappez le petit bouton de revue sous ce texte.**

**Et type quelque chose dedans. **

**Et sumbit frappé. **

**Ou je cesserai l'inscription. --Rem **

**Gerade wieder, wenn Sie mich dieses zu schreiben, fortfahren wünschen, schlagen Sie den kleinen Berichtknopf unter diesem Text. **

**Und Art etwas innen. **

**Und geschlagenes sumbit. **

**Oder ich stoppe zu schreiben. --Rem **


	5. Notebook

**Seriously.**

**I know when you're reading. I watch my Reader Traffic.**

**You guys know this, right?**

**Yeah, Canada. I see you hiding. You don't want to review. **

**And I know who's reviewing and who isn't. Two people in the USA, one person in the UK are reviewing.**

**I know when you're reading.**

**You guys, please.**

**I'm really, really, really begging you. Reviews tell me if I suck or if I'm good, what I need to keep, and what I need to get rid of.**

**You know, a review can really make a twelve year old kid happy. So please. In the past six hours, four people have read this and not reviewed. Just on the last chapter.**

**Please review. I always manage to think that I suck even if I get twenty-five favorites and watches, and no reviews. It's just a weird thing, okay?**

**I'm almost begging you. Please, please, please review. Even if you're just asking me to update soon. It boosts my confidence.**

**Thanks.**

**--Rem**

_Part One: Blood in the Snow_

"_Little girl, little girl_

_Why are you crying?_

_Inside your restless soul, your heart is dying._

_Little one, little one_

_Your soul is purging_

_Of love and razor blades_

_Your blood is surging."_

_--Green Day, "Viva la Gloria? (Little Girl)"_

"Hey, you heard about that new murder, right?"

"Mmm. Yeah, by BB? Lord, it's got me shaking in my boots. George wanted us to move to San Diego. Can you believe that? San Diego!"

"Oh, that's nothing compared to where Nathan wanted us to go. You know what he told me?"

"Oh, what did he tell you?"

"He said his lifelong dream was to move to Juneau! Alaska, Mary! Dear lord, I will never understand that man!"

Mariko's eyes opened blearily.

… Wha?

What had happened?

This didn't look like-

Oh God.

She had actually moved.

That was it.

Mariko had officially absolutely ruined her life.

Not enough money to go back.

She was stuck.

She had just spent the night on a street in LA.

Across the country.

She gnashed her teeth together and shut her eyes. Oh god, no.

She was crazy.

She looked up.

The two women were staring at her now.

She hadn't realized she had been breathing heavily, and either wa-

Oh God.

"Hehe. Told you." Ryuk's voice.

P M.

M C.

Floating above their heads. Ha! This was it. Mariko was insane. She had gone absolutely crackers.

"No, it's more of a side-effect if you will. Well, now that that change has taken place, I feel as though I have a responsibility and duty as your friendly neighborhood Shinigami to tell you to look in that backpack of yours when you get a chance. Oh, and I wouldn't mind an apple for that tip."

Their initials.

She could see them.

This was absolutely and utterly insane.

Both of the women (They seemed like the type to sit around in a knitting circle and complain about their husbands.) stared at her even longer, before P M whispered something to M M.

M M hesitated a moment before asking in a relatively soft voice, (This was rather frustrating, it sounded like she was talking to a spooked animal.) "Do you need help?"

A quick shake of the head was all they needed to continue chatting away about the newest murder.

Wait.

Murder.

Here.

In LA.

Urgh. Why didn't she just stay in Portland? Why hadn't she minded her own business and stayed there?

Now she was in a terrified town with a serial killer somewhere in it. Without any way to get back to Portland.

Great. Exactly what she loved.

~x~

"… Another murder?" Near asked, blinking.

"Shut up, twinkle toes!"

Near blinked for a moment and exhaled a sigh.

"Apparently so. He left two of those stupid doll things this time. There's only one more…" Matt shivered. He had been the one to deliver the news to their shared room.

"So one more murder, huh? Or is he going to go down to zero dolls?" Mello asked.

"… Wara Ningyo." Near corrected softly.

"Shut up, twinkle toes!" Mello snarled, punching Near in the stomach. "You don't need to correct everything. You're not L yet!"

He spoke about it in such an angry, unruly fashion.

Near inhaled abruptly when Mello punched him.

"… That hurt." He acknowledged, tipping his head to the side ever-so-slightly.

This trip was becoming, if anything else, Hell.

He inhaled deeply.

~x~

She exhaled softly.

Big silver letters.

DEATH NOTE.

… _What the heck is this thing?_

Mariko stared at the notebook, gingerly picked up the edge of the cover and lifted it up, and stared at the first page, in intimidating white-on black scrawl.

_The human whose name is written in this note shall die._

Blink.

Blink.

Stare.

"It's a Death Note, in case you couldn't tell." She jumped. He must have landed some time when she was taking it out of her backpack.

Mariko cast the Shinigami an annoyed look. "I understand. But what _is _this thing?"

Due to the fact that they were alone, Mariko found it alright to speak to him directly.

"…A Death Note. Read the rules."

She sighed.

She had pulled off to the side in an ally.

It was a stupid move on her part. Ten year old girl completely unaccompanied in an ally in the bad part of LA.

Not a target at all.

Mariko took a deep breath and read the second rule.

_This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected._

"… What?" Ryuk mumbled.

"… What is this?"

"… I've told you twice already, it's a D-"

"Death Note. I get it. But who does it belong to, and why do I have it?"

"At the moment, you, and because I have mine, and that one is a spare, if you will."

"… Why are you giving this to me?"

"Because considering the fact that I am a Shinigami and a fraction of my eyesight is being shared with you, it is my duty to abide the Shinigami rules and grant you access to my second Death Note, if I possess one." He sounded as if he was reading out of a book.

"… Alright, let me get this straight. Shinigami use the Death Note to kill."

"Mm hmm." He was looking through a trashcan, and glanced warily at a half-eaten apple.

"… And you have a second Death Note."

"Correct." He picked up the apple, pondering it for a moment.

"… And you are giving your second Death Note to me…"

"Yup."

"And because you are viewing the world through my eyes, and you are taking up the space of ten years, the span of my life that I cannot remember due to amnesia, you are forced to give this to me out of a policy that the Shinigami have?"

"Aaaaffirmitory." He confirmed, throwing the apple up in the air and catching it in his mouth. Mariko gave him a slightly sickened look.

"… So I can kill people with this notebook."

"Si."

"But I'm not forced to."

"Hai."

Now different languages?

Mariko sighed. "Okay. Good. So I don't need to kill people."

Ryuk sighed. "Enough questions and talking to yourself. Go do something interesting."

Mariko shot him a sour glance. "You know how stupid you are some times?"

Ryuk gave her a confused look. "Oh, what-ever do you mean?" He asked in an over-the-top innocent voice.

She rubbed her eyes, still a little tired.

Concrete didn't make for the best bed. She sighed and took a deep breath.

Alright.

Now, she had to find a place to stay.

**Sorry I didn't update as usual last night.**

**My Great Grandfather died late last night.**

**Most likely, there won't be a couple updates for several days, so please don't expect anything, because I'll be at the funeral and viewing.**

**I'm flying up to Omaha tomorrow.**

**I'll be back on Tuesday, at the latest.**

**Great.**

**I have to get funeral clothes.**

**--Rem**


	6. Cellphone

**Thank you for the watches and favorites, you guys!**

**Please review as often as you can! That doesn't mean every chapter, but feel free to, if you wish. O_O;**

**--Rem**

"I... er... I'm a hard worker, and I've been in this business before." Mariko insisted, clenching her teeth together.

The woman blinked. "... You've worked at a hotel before?"

"Yes, I just ask for a room and $2.50 an hour!"

"... Whatever. Sure. Here's a room key. 204."

Mariko sighed with relief. Good.

"Thank you! You won't regret it!"

The concierge woman just sighed blankly.

Well, her unenthusiastic appeal came in handy. Having a ten year old wave a job around in your face, they're more likely to accept quicker. Even if it was breaking child labor laws.

Taking the elevator up to the second floor, she wondered briefly when it had last been inspected. It was rather wobbly.

Mariko sighed and slid the room key card into the doorknob. The green light flashed, and she opened the door. Alright. So it was about the same size as the last one. A small kitchen-area-thing to the right, a twin bed covered with annoying blue blankets, a desk, and a TV in front of the bed, closed up in the cabinet, and on the other side of the cabinet, there was a bathroom.

... Good enough. Now to get to the library.

Suddenly, a sick feeling overtook Mariko's stomach, bile rising in her throat. Her eyes widened slightly, and she dashed to the bathroom, and threw up.

Alright, well... Maybe she wouldn't go to the library just yet. Not until tomorrow morning.

She really, really didn't want to go now.

And, in absolute truth, the only place she wanted to go was back to Portland.

~x~

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Near blinked.

His cell phone?

Generally, that was only used by people at Whammy's. Who would call him?

He took it out of his pocket and flipped it open.

Mello was too preoccupied with the television to notice.

**Unidentified Number**

... Someone was blocking their caller I.D.

He paused for a moment and hit the green button on the left side of the interface.

"Near."

Not a hello. Not an 'Are you there?'

Just 'Near'.

It wasn't even a human voice.

It was a synchronized voice.

"Reach under the second couch cushion and pull out the room key. Then meet me in room 405."

_Click._

That was it. The one on the end of the line had hung up, and Near was left with a dull dial tone.

Sometimes, Near thought he was crazy.

Trying to arrange his movements in a careful fashion as to so Mello wouldn't see them, Near slowly slid the cell phone back into his pocket and reached underneath the couch cushion he was sitting on.

There it was. A room key.

What was the room number again? 405...

"I'm going to look around downstairs."

"Whatever, twinkle toes."

Near ignored Mello's last comment and shut the door behind him.

They were room 346.

Okay. And his room key was in the other pocket.

He called an elevator and went up a floor in a rather impatient matter. Four-oh-five?

"Four-oh-five... Four-oh-five..." He mumbled impatiently.

Then he realised he was going down the hallway the wrong way and gritted his teeth out of frusteration slightly.

This was becoming very, very frusterating.

Why hadn't whoever just come out and said who he was?

... Argh.

He really, really, really hated people some times.

Finally, Near headed down the right way, past the elevators, turned the corner, and found himself staring at a door with 405 written on it.

A small shiver went down his spine.

Whoever this was, he just hoped it wasn't some freak.

Although he was beginning to have second thoughts, he took a deep breath and jammed the card into the doorknob.

The light flashed green.

He stepped inside.

All the lights were out. The only illumination in the entire room was the moon and stars. All the curtains were open. The windows in the hotel were tinted, however, so whoever was here didn't have to worry about being spotted.

Who would go out of their way to not be seen like this?

The door shut behind him.

Blink.

"Near."

He found himself staring at a young man, possibly in his mid twenties.

He wore jeans, and though it was hard to tell with such little light, his shirt looked black to Near.

Messy black hair covered most of his face, but what terrified him was the fact that in the light, the young man's eyes gleamed slightly scarlet.

And Near was scared for his life.

**O: WHO IS THIS MYSTERIOUS CHARACTER MOST OF YOU ALREADY KNOW WHO IT IS?**

**Hehe...**

**Well, as it turns out, ****I fly out to Iowa on Saturday, not Sunday. There was a change of plans. DX**

**Sorry, but you may not get an update until Tuesday.**

**I'm evil, aren't I?**

**Kyahahaha...~!**

**As I said, please review and let me know how I'm doing!**

**KYAHAHAHA~!**

**Love and Shinigami Eyes,**

**Rem**


	7. L

**Heh.**

**You guys hate me now?**

**Yeah, I figured as much. Well, most of you probably guessed who it was.**

**And most of you were wrong.**

**Kyahahaha~!**

**However, my friend Rin and I did decided that it was PedoBear, who was Edward Cullen. And since PedoBear is Michael Jackson, that would make Edward Cullen the King of Pop, and so we decided that it was Edward, King of Pop, and Near was Paris Jackson. Heh.**

**However, it is not, unfortunately, King Cullen of Pop. DX And Near is not Paris Jackson.**

**D'aw.**

**Ah well.**

**It's still someone awesome.**

**~Rem**

"Who are you?" Near snarled, nearly jumping out of his skin.

A light flickered on.

"… I am L."

He now saw, in the easy light, that the young man's shirt was white, not black, and that the scarlet gleam had simply been a trick of the light shining through from the red curtain.

Near's eyes widened slightly. "… L? Why- Wait. How do I know you're L, and not that psychopath?"

L gave Near a slight smirk. "Your real name is Nate River, when you were assigned your Whammy name, you disproved of the concept and almost refused to join Whammy's."

Near was quiet. L continued.

"Before you joined the House, your father died when you were a young child, and your mother decided she did not want you after you turned seven."

Near stared at L, face paled.

"You inherited your albinism from your mother and-"

Near was shaking slightly. "Alright. I believe you… L…" He murmured softly, shutting his eyes and sitting down on the floor. L had put a crack in a dam of emotion for him. The smallest little trickle of it was showing through.

"… Very well. Near, I would like to speak with you about several situations."

"… Yes, L."

There was a moment of awkward silence between the two, before L began.

"In the situation of my death or disability, or if any action is performed so that it is impossible for me to continue being L, you are aware of your duties. This is correct?"

Near blinked. Was L worried about dying some time soon? "… Yes… That's the entire concept of being successor… Right?"

"Correct. Near, my only concern is the fact that you are the youngest in the house, yet are next in line… Do you find yourself able to perform the actions necessary in order to become L?"

Near was silent.

Was L asking if Near was ready to be L?

"I-in the case of your death or disability, that is correct…"

L stared at Near for several moments critically, his coal eyes meeting Near's snowy ones.

"…You're nervous." He commented blandly. Well, it was a bit difficult to act absolutely normal with someone staring right into your eyes and both of you being silent.

"… Are you worried about dying?"

"Irrelevant." The reply was sharp and slightly louder than Near had expected, making him jump.

"But-"

"Are you unprepared? I could quite easily change your position and switch you with Mello. Or even completely remove you from the House, if it is your wish." L raised an eyebrow.

Near sighed. This was so confusing…

"It isn't that… I just don't understand. This was unexpected. I would like to know if you are concerned about how much longer you will be able to perform actions as L, or live."

He was trying to match L's tone and voice. He didn't want L to ask him to leave just yet.

"Irrelevant." L answered once again. Near made a confused face. "As I said, I can give Mello your title as the next L, if you wish?"

"I don't want that twit taking my position!" Near bursted out, clenching his fists.

L smirked slightly. "So you are saying that at any given moment, you would take the position as L before Mello?"

"Yes! That's exactly what I'm saying!"

L smirked slightly more. "That was all I wished to hear. Thank you, Near. You may return."

"… That was it?" Near asked, blinking.

"… Yes. Were you expecting anything different?"

"… Well, no… But…"

"… However…?"

"… Nothing. Thank you, L."

L only left the smirk on his face and said nothing until the door was almost closed behind Near. Then he heard a quiet, "Thank you, N."

… N.

It had a nice ring.

~x~

Mariko took a deep breath.

Urgh.

Morning.

Bile was in the back of her throat. Her throat was scratchy. Her lymph nodes were swollen up. It hurt to breath.

The room was freezing, even with the blanket wrapped around her. She glanced over at the bathroom door, and picking up the blanket with her, moving across the floor, she looked in the mirror. The dark circles under her eyes had become more prominent, her cheeks were slightly more red, and the rest of her face was paler than usual.

Thermometer.

She needed a thermometer. Where was a thermometer?

Without thinking, she yanked open a drawer. Thermometer.

Still shivering, she shoved it in her mouth and under her tongue, pressing the button as she walked over to the other side of the room to adjust the thermostat.

75 degrees?

You were kidding, right?

That was hot…

She shivered again and turned it up five more degrees, to eighty, and hoped that would last.

The thermometer beeped repeatedly, and she pulled it out of her mouth.

102.3 degrees?

She shivered and let it drop to the floor and glanced at the slip of paper.

_For Concierge, please call 257._

She turned it over to confirm anything else before the stupid thing got lost or something else.

_For Concierge, please call 257._

Well that was silly. Why write the same-

She stared. One was in Spanish. The other was in English.

… Had she understood both of them?

She blinked and realized that the first one she had read was in Spanish.

What other languages did she know?

She blinked.

She hadn't even realized it was in Spanish…

"Just another unfortunate disadvantage of losing one's memory." Ryuk mumbled in a tsk tsk voice.

"Shut up…" She mumbled, rubbing her eyes and picking up the phone while dialing.

"Hello?" It was the same annoyed voice of the lady from last night.

"… I can't work today. I have the flu." She sniffled into the phone.

"Whatever."

Mariko sighed and put the phone down.

That was taken care of.

She sighed and curled up, bringing the blanket up around her until it covered her completely, including her head.

Ugh.

"…I'll leave you alone, then." Ryuk sighed. "Since you won't be doing anything today."

Mariko groaned in response. She needed to throw up again. This was possibly the most annoying, uncomfortable experience she had ever experienced.

Why the flu existed, she had no idea. And she had no time to ponder this before having to get up, run to the bathroom, throw up again , and return to bed and completely fall asleep.

**Nd'aww! Poor MariMari.**

**She has the flu. DX **

**Homesickness sucks.**

**Anyway, hope you're happy with the update. Wrote this on the plane.**

**Hope you enjoyed the update. ^^ **

**Sorry for making you guys wait so long.**

**Okay, well… Not really. But still.**

**Kyahaha~!**

**I know I overuse that, but it's addictive.**

**--Rem**


	8. Near

**Hey guys, sorry for the pause in updating. I wanted to let everyone review the last chapter. I actually started writing this one right after I finished the last one. I just wanted to let everyone review and stuff.**

**Anyway, thanks for everyone's support as far as reviewing so far.**

**Once I got people to start, it got a lot easier. So thanks for your support, everyone.**

**--Rem**

_A week later…_

"Thank you."

Mariko bowed, her hair, down to her waist, and completely unbound, flipped over and touched the floor as she did so.

Payday.

Having gotten over the flu several days ago, she was feeling a lot better, though she had spent the remainder of her money on medicine and water. Now she had the time and money to go buy some food.

"Whatever."

This chick had a huge vocabulary, didn't she?

Ah well. What did it matter to Mariko?

She had money.

And had gotten paid during her sick days.

That was an accomplishment in itself.

Smiling anyway, the ten-year-old girl shoved the cash in her pocket.

Or, at least, she thought she was ten.

She had no idea of her birthday.

Very odd, to be honest.

Ah well.

She was going to be able to finally buy food. That was good.

And with that, she left the hotel .

However, this outing was what changed her life.

~x~

Near was not having the best of days.

Not only was Mello annoying.

There was an awkward silence in the group.

Finally, he sighed and turned around.

"…" He blinked. He'd expected to see someone, at least Matt or Mello. No one, but the usual hustle and bustle of LA.

Near stared blankly. He was on an LA street…?

Alone…?

Silence.

Where was he, anyway? How long had he been alone?

Glancing around for a familiar building, he found himself completely lost.

Near was a child.

As with most children in general, the response to the notion of being alone is fear.

Even if you are a genius child.

Which Near was, of course.

He sighed.

Where to go…? He glanced at a payphone, and, instinctively, his hand dug into his pocket.

Empty.

He sighed.

"Er… Are you… Lost?"

He jumped.

"Wha-?"

He turned to see a girl, somewhere around his age, with loose ebony hair (To tell the truth, her hair had the slightest hint of navy.) framing her face, contrasting extremely against her pale face. Her bangs were slightly spiked, with more volume than the normal person would have.

Dark eyes matched her hair, with which she examined Near, as if sizing him up.

It was actually pretty creepy.

Alright, it was beyond creepy.

It was just plain weird.

He managed to catch himself staring when the girl gave her a slightly awkward look, as if having second thoughts with offering help.

"Ah-er… Oh. Er… Sorry. Ha…" Near nervously twirled a lock of his hair on the side of his head, cheeks slightly red. "Y-yes… Er… Do you happen to know where I can get a phone? I don't have any money with me…"

The girl was silent for a brief moment, biting her lower lip. Then she seemed to shrug internally.

"Yeah, but, it's… er… In my hotel room." She laughed nervously.

"That's fine, if you're okay with it?" Near asked, blinking.

"… Erm. Sure. Just… Er… Follow me." She mumbled, seeming to have some sort of second thought.

"… Excuse me, but what's your name?" Near mumbled, catching up to her.

The girl sighed. "I'm Mariko." Her eyes darted up to just above his head, for some reason… "And you are?"

"Near." He fumbled with a lock of his hair on the side of his head.

"Ah." Mariko murmured, sighing. "Where are you from?" She asked as they continued down the street.

"… London."

Her head swiveled slightly, as if she needed to look back at Near.

"That's… far." She mumbled, continuing to walk.

"Yes, the flight was not pleasant…" Near murmured, continuing to nervously twist the lock of his snowy hair as he walked.

"… This is it." Mariko murmured, opening the door to what looked like a relatively beaten-down hotel.

"… Thank you." He mumbled awkwardly when they began up the elevator.

Mariko glanced over. "It's not an issue." She gave him a slight smile.

"So… Erm… Where are you from?"

"… Portland. Maine." Mariko murmured uncertainly.

Near was going to comment on why she didn't sound too sure, though he shut his eyes and shrugged it off.

After a moment, the elevator dinged and the two stepped out, as Mariko used the card key, the light flashed green, and she held the door open for Near.

Near found the room a mess. The blankets were a strewn, with cold and flu medicine bottles everywhere.

"I'm sorry about the mess, I just sort of recovered from the flu, and I've yet had a chance to clean up." She murmured, giving him a nervous smile, which he quickly returned on instinct. "The phone is over there, next to the tissue box." She said, pointing to a side table next to the bed.

"I actually need to be gone for a few minutes, to pick up some food. But… Er… If you can't get a hold of whoever you need to call, feel free to stay." She murmured, nodding briefly.

"Er… Thank you… Mariko-san." That was catchy. Mariko-san.

The sign of respect seemed to take her by surprise, though she smiled softly.

"It's not an issue, really."

~x~

Mariko returned around forty-five minutes later, several shopping bags in tow. "Hi, still here? Did you get a hold of… Er…"

"Roger." Near said, finishing her sentence for her.

Mariko blinked oddly. "… Roger…" She whispered under her breath, looking slightly confused.

Then for no particular reason at all, she looked irritated, opened her mouth, quickly closed it, and jerked her head to the side.

Near stared for a brief moment. He felt slightly guilty. He had decided to ruin Mello's vacation by not calling Roger at all, though it wouldn't give her much of a problem, would it?

If it did, he could just leave.

"No, I didn't." Near said, sighing.

"Ah well. You're welcome to spend the night."

"… But…"

"… But…?"

"That wouldn't be… _Proper, _Mariko-san." He frowned. This girl couldn't be serious.

"Forget proper, I'm not letting anyone stay out on the street. I've done that before, and it's not fun." She countered his frown with a concerned face as she hoisted the grocery bags up

She sighed and took off her sweater, (Which Near had to admit, was a rather sickly green hue.) revealing a plain baggy white T-shirt underneath.

She held up two blocks of something wrapped. "Chicken or shrimp ramen?" She offered.

"I… I really don't eat much…" Near murmured softly, hoping she really wouldn't.

Mariko sighed. "Just pick one."

"… Fine. Chicken."

"Good boy." Mariko nodded, approving in an almost teasing tone.

There was a long moment of awkward silence as Mariko prepared the instant noodles, then the question Near had been pondering since around thirty minutes ago.

"… Mariko-san, where are your parents?"

It came out slightly more rude, and slightly less gentle than his original intentions. Though it seemed to work.

Mariko emitted a small sigh and leaned against the counter. "I'm looking for them. I have a feeling one of them is here in LA."

Wow. That was… Interesting.

"… And what led you to that conclusion?"

"Well… I did some research on my last name, and… Well… Something came up…" Mariko's cheeks were slightly pink now.

"… What came up?"

"Well, I looked through all of the search results, and… well, it didn't say anything specifically, but…"

"… Yes?"

"It was an article about L."

Near paled slightly. L…?

"Y-you don't mean the detective, do you?"

Mariko stared at his bewildered expression. "… Yes, I mean the detective."

"So you came out here because he was after BB in this town…?"

Mariko nodded briefly. "Yes. That's it." She didn't seem to doubt it at all. Could this girl really be related to L?

"… It's the fact that… Well… I may be his daughter, even. I can't sit around and wait. If I'm not his daughter, I've got to be a cousin or something."

"… So… You said you did research on your last name… What is it?"

"… My full name is Mariko Beyond Lawliet."

Lawliet.

Lawliet? That was L's last name? Lawliet?

"I… did a little bit more into it, and I found someone named Laurent James Lawliet. But, I mean… I don't know. For all I know, that could be just some guy with my last name, but, you see, he's twenty-seven the last time I checked. Though he seemed to have no connection with L…" Mariko murmured, shutting her eyes and sighing.

"… So… You're an orphan?"

Mariko gave him an, are-you-an-idiot look. "… No. I don't believe my parents to be dead."

Near sighed for a moment. "… Mariko-san, I… I may be able to help you."

There was a lump in his throat. Should he really talk about this, or tell her? She deserved to know…

"… Yes?"

"… Well… I… Er… How to explain this… Well, I belong to a certain… Orphanage."

Mariko gave him a look that said, 'I told you I'm not an orphan', however, Near continued. "It's…" He sighed. How was he going to explain Whammy's.? "It's called the Whammy House. It doubles as a school for rather… advanced students."

Mariko raised a wry eyebrow. "Advanced as in…?"

"Genius. IQ above 150."

"… Why are you telling me this?" Mariko questioned in a critical tone.

"… Because we are in training to become the next L."

Mariko stared at him like he was crazy, face slightly paled.

"I understand, it sounds insane." Near muttered softly under his breath. "But it's true."

"… So you're saying that… This orphanage… Is like a school to becoming the next L?"

"… That would be correct."

Mariko stared at Near quietly. "… You're serious? You might be able to…"

"Yes." Near smiled softly. "I might. I know what hotel room he's in and in which hotel."

Mariko's jaw was slightly slack. "You mean…"

"Yes." Near smiled softly. "I could."

Mariko stood up, walked over to him, and hugged him. "Eeek! I'd love that! Thank you so much!" She smiled at him. "You have no idea how much this would mean to me if you could do this."

Near's face flashed at least a hundred different colors. "M-Mariko-san!"

"Oh, heh. Sorry. I'm just excited, I suppose." She tipped her head to the side and smiled. "I'm almost completely certain that he's related to me… This is wonderful!"

Near's face flushed. "Thank you…" He murmured, taken aback by her sudden friendliness.

Then she gasped. "Argh! The ramen!" She stood up and ran over to the stove, sighing. "Ergh. It's all clumped together and burnt…" She sighed. "Ah well."

"I don't want any, you have it."

Mariko gave him a slightly critical look. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. You have it all."

She sighed. "Alright." Mariko poured the ramen into a large bowl and leaned against the counter, exhaling loudly.

"Again, thank you so much. And… You can just call me Mariko. I consider you a friend, now."

"Alright, Mariko-sa- oops." Near laughed slightly.

"I suppose I consider you a friend, too, Mariko."

He smiled and tipped his head to the side.

**Hey guys. **

**Trailer thing again…**

**If you have a green screen, white pajamas, and a white wig or something, please PM me if you can film in front of it and with it!**

**We still need a Near!**

**PS - The scene with Mariko and Near in the hotel room was a role play between me and AnotherNear, so she deserves credit for a lot of the contributions she's made. Even some direct quotes.**

**Thanks for inspiring me to put my little Nene-Koi in, Near! ^-^**

**-Rem**


	9. Pinocchio

**Chapter seven, eight, and nine were written in succession, finished, and just spaced out, so I can get as many reviews sucked out of you guys as possible. XD**

**I may just update faster if I get more reviews. O:**

**Not that I'm complaining.**

**XD**

**PS- YES. I did change my pen name.**

**--Rem**

"You could have at least worn shoes."

"But I don't like shoes." Near frowned, walking after Mariko on the sidewalk.

"… But it looks stupid."

"So? You think I care? White hair looks stupid." Near said with a grin. He had spent the night at Mariko's, though neither of them had slept, they had spent the whole night talking about themselves, and everything.

Though Mariko hadn't told him about the Death Note, her eyes, or Ryuk. Not quite yet.

"Aw, now you know trust is important among lovers." Ryuk said.

_Oh, shut up, you!_

Some people stared at them, the albino and the raven. White and black. Ebony and ivory.

It was odd.

Maybe they thought they were an odd couple. Even if they weren't. They were nothing more than friends. At all.

Near was going to bring her to L... Claiming to have nothing better to do. She had shrugged it off, deciding she wanted to spend time with Near. She liked him… And trusted him. In a good friends sort of way.

"White hair doesn't look stupid." Mariko frowned slightly. "I think black hair does."

"Being a raven is more common than albinism, though." Near pointed out.

"Che!" Mariko laughed slightly. "Only slightly!"

They both laughed loudly. "You know, ever since I was in Portland, I never really made a good friend." She smiled and tipped her head to the side. "You're the first friend I've really made."

Near glanced awkwardly at her. "Really?"

Mariko nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, I suppose it's a good thing I got lost," Near grinned slightly. "well, here we are." Near murmured, looking up at the large hotel before them.

"Wow. So this is the Beverly Hilton?" She asked, eyes wide. "Yeah." Near nodded. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out two room keys. "One of these is 405, and the other is 324." We'll just have to try them out."

Mariko nodded briefly. "Alright." Her voice was surprisingly quiet.

"Are you… scared?" Near asked, blinking as they walked through the front doors.

"… A little nervous." She laughed softly and humorlessly.

Near sighed and quickly gave her a little squeeze from the side. "You'll be fine."

"… Thanks." She smiled softly.

"It's not a problem." He smiled back at her. "It'll be alright."

He pressed the elevator button, and when it came, they both stepped inside, and Near hit floor 4.

To be quite honest, Near looked a little nervous as well. Though he had completely denied that.

The elevator dinged, and Mariko felt her face drain of color.

Near stepped out, and she shakily stepped out. Oh god…

She was just now realizing how many different things could go wrong.

"Near, I'm not so sure…" She was sick to her stomach, but she absolutely had to know. She had to figure this out. She hadn't come this far just to back out.

"You'll be alright." Near murmured, nodding briefly.

Then they reached the door with 405 written in plain block text on the door.

"… Alright. Here we go." He put in the first card.

The light flashed red.

He grimaced.

"Then it has to be this one." He held up the second key and punched it in.

The light flashed green.

Mariko's eyes lit up, though her dread was present.

"Near…" She whispered.

"Yes?"

"I'm scared."

Yes, after that far.

She was absolutely terrified.

"… I'm not going to let you ruin this now, Mariko."

He sighed and opened the door slightly for her to enter. "… Alright." She sighed and walked in as Near handed her the key and entered after her.

~x~

It was amazing how good strawberry jam tasted sometimes. On several different days and occasions, strawberry jam was possibly nectar of the gods for Beyond.

He smiled, scooping it out with his hand and eating it without any utensil, bread, biscuit, whatever. Nothing.

It was absolutely delicious.

Beyond suddenly grinned, his jam-eating fit becoming more and more violent as he ate.

"Hehe…" He laughed softly.

It wasn't quite time for him to commit suicide. Not yet.

It wasn't close to time yet. He wasn't going to burn himself not quite yet.

He wanted more of Misora's wonderful antics. He loved the way she acted.

Too bad she was just a puppet. L's puppet.

He smiled, imagining the strawberry jam to be L's blood. He viewed Misora as a poor, delicate, marionette that L was pulling the strings on. His puppet was too stupid to figure anything out. They would never think about him committing suicide, burning himself.

Kyehehe…

Misora was almost like Pinocchio, though… She had no strings to hold her up…

So how was L behind it? Maybe he was just Giuseppe, the creator of Pinocchio.

Hehe… But what would that make B?

The cricket?

Or perhaps he was the clever fox behind the whole conspiracy…

Yes. That sounded right.

B was the fox.

L was Giuseppe.

Misora was Pinocchio.

He laughed.

"Kyahaha~!"

~x~

"… Near?"

The light flicked on, and Mariko felt herself trembling slightly.

The curtains were drawn, and a young man sat at a plush chair off to the side of the room. The two blinked at each other for a while.

"… Are you L?" Mariko asked, trying to keep her voice from cracking.

"I am L." L stated, dark eyes blinking at her.

Near stood off to the side. The stress in the room was a bit more than he himself had expected. He clenched his teeth and stared at the two. It was almost like Mariko was staring into a mirror.

"… My…" She looked a little scared. "My name is Mariko Beyond Lawliet."

L raised an eyebrow. "… And."

Then they stared at each other for an extended period of time.

"And I believe myself to be your daughter." Mariko stated boldly.

"… Excuse me?" L raised a blank eyebrow at Mariko.

"I believe you are my father." Mariko murmured, obviously slightly less bold.

"… I have no children."

Mariko looked as though she had been slapped across the face.

"But I-"

"You do not know who you are talking about, I doubt your are even stable. I do not know who you are, nor do I care." L's tone was becoming harsher.

Mariko stared at L for a moment, face drained of color.

"Now as I have work to attend to, I must ask you to leave."

Mariko was silent for a moment, her teeth were clenched together, though she looked terrible compared to the way she had come in, especially her eyes.

They looked… weakened.

"…You're a coward." Mariko murmured, eyes dark. "You're too afraid to let anyone see your face, you coward."

L stared blankly at Mariko, her words not seeming to affect him.

"I am not a coward." L sighed. "However, your opinion makes no difference to me."

Mariko was trembling slightly.

"You coward!" Mariko shouted, tears welling up in her eyes.

Near flinched.

"You're just an idiot! I can't believe I ever considered…"

"Please leave." L sighed. "I want nothing to do with you. I hope to never meet you again."

Mariko stared at L.

Then started toward the door.

She gave L a long, tortured glance before leaving.

And that moment, with the grief and fury burning in her eyes…

That was imprinted in Near's mind forever.

**After this, I will be changing my pen name to ListensToGreenDay, so if you want to look something up, that's it.**

**It's just that I'm spanning more fan doms than Invader Zim, so…**

**Yeah.**

**Anyway, that's meh new pen name!**

**PS - Please review~! :3**

**--ListensToGreenDay**


	10. Beyond

**Sorry for the long wait!**

**But here it is!**

**8D**

**I had been quite busy, so sorry.**

**But still.**

**--Rem**

"Why you brought her here, I will not question." L said, barely giving Near a glance. "However, Roger, Matt, and Mello have been looking for you, I'd return to your main hotel room."

Near stared at L for a moment. "… Yes…" He murmured softly. He was completely flabbergasted by the whole situation. He still hadn't processed in his mind what had happened.

And that was the way Near walked out on Mariko.

~x~

That night was Hell.

That next morning was Hell.

The endless cycle of life was Hell.

Day in, and day out, day in, and day out.

Get up, work, go to bed.

Get up, work, go to bed.

Get up, work, go to bed.

It was tiring.

It was exhausting, and really, the whole cycle should just end soon.

That was the only thought.

End the cycle.

End the cycle.

When she had thought about writing her own name in the Death Note, Ryuk had informed her that under normal circumstances, that was possible.

However, due to the fact that the Shinigami was taking a part of the human's soul and spirit, it was impossible without killing the Shinigami as well.

Therefore, even if she had tried it, it would have had no effect.

She wasn't going to physically harm herself.

She just had to wait for the right person to come along.

What reason did Mariko have left to live?

Zero.

Why did she bother any more?

No reason.

All Mariko had to wait for now is the right person to come around… Someone who didn't care. Someone relatively expendable.

Near was gone.

Wherever he was, he had gone.

Poof.

Disappeared.

Just like that.

The only real friend she could remember.

He was gone.

Poof.

Sayonara.

Adios.

Goodbye.

And that was how she found herself, that fateful day, wandering the streets of LA.

That one, crazy day.

Mariko kicked the rock down the sidewalk.

Stupid rock. It kept bouncing. Couldn't it just stop?

She sighed.

The street was empty.

No one but her.

It was a bit creepy when she considered that fact, but then it didn't really matter. Maybe someone would jump out of nowhere and slit her throat.

She stared at the ground.

And several minutes later, almost bumped into someone.

"Eh- wha?"

Mariko glanced up at the person she had bumped into.

Red eyes.

Messy black hair.

Pale porcelain skin.

Looked just like her.

And above his head… Mariko shivered and almost screamed, but she had to keep her jaw clamped. "B… B…"

BB's hair covered his face so his eyes no longer showed, and a small smirk, teeth exposed.

"So. Hello there." He tipped his head back to expose his eyes, which Mariko found herself absolutely lost in their scarlet glimmer.

"You're…" Words didn't form.

"Kyeh." He laughed slightly. "BB."

"… Yes…" Trembling, Mariko took a step back.

"Mariko… Lawliet? I'd presume so." BB took a step forward as she stepped back, tipping his head to the side slightly and clenching his teeth as he spoke.

"Beyond." Mariko muttered abruptly, teeth clenched in return.

BB blinked at her for a moment.

"My middle name. It's Beyond."

"So you can only see initials."

It looked like a lion stalking prey. Mariko would take a step back. BB would take a step forward.

"I have to go."

Mariko turned around and began walking away. To her relief, there were no footsteps behind her.

Then she stopped.

_I hope to never meet you again._

_I am not your father._

She winced and slowly reached behind her, into her backpack, grabbed the notebook, and closed her eyes.

Then she turned around, and walked straight up to him, staring him straight in the eyes.

"My name is Mariko Beyond Lawliet."

A pause as Beyond stared at her blankly for several moments.

"_Write it down."_

**Hehe. I just saw the Broadway production of Wicked! It was AWESOME.**

**I totally loved it. **

**It's completely awesome.**

**Sorry for the short chapter, but I have to end it there!**

**I need to kill you guys into reviewing.**

**Heehee.**

**/Giggle/**

**Anyway, I LOVED Wicked.**

**It's absolutely awesome.**

**So… yeah.**

**Totally rocked.**

**It was the Broadway one.**

**Yeah, the one with the ads posted everywhere.**

**It was amazing!**

**So… Yeah, again.**

**Great job!**

**--Rem**


	11. mL

**Heh, sorry for the short last chapter and cliffhanger.**

**Wanna make you guys wonder. But, here it is. By the way, I noticed several dates and such are off, This would actually have to be in 1990 for everything to be completely accurate. Even then, the sequel would be off.**

**And that was seven years before I was born. O_o **

**Soo…**

**Sumimasen!**

**And now…**

**Chapter ju-ichi! Eleven! Dieze-uno!**

**PS - All those geniuses that want to tell me I'm not learning Japanese and that I can only say baka and sumimasen, while counting to twenty… I've been learning by books seriously for six months, can count up to 50,000, and I can understand 30% of a conversation since Christmas.**

**And I'm going to college in Tokyo. And I'm fluent in Spanish.**

**--Rem**

"I'll die." It was a blunt answer, but it was true. Beyond was a serial killer… He couldn't deny this… this… opportunity.

BB stared at her. "You're asking me to kill you?"

"Yes."

"Are you insane?" Beyond shoved the notebook back at her. "In no case would I be willing to perform such an act on a child with so much life left to live."

"But… Quarter Queen…"

"She was about to die anyway."

Mariko stared at him, bewildered.

He only killed people close to the end of their life…

"So how does this… thing work? This… Notebook." Beyond asked in a mutter.

"I…" Mariko blinked. Well, he had the Shinigami eyes… Was it safe to tell him?

What did it matter.

She was going to die…

"You write a name down, picture their face in your mind, and they die."

BB stared at her. "Really?"

Mariko nodded.

BB gave her another critical look before extending his hand. "My name is Beyond."

Mariko stared at him briefly.

Beyond?

"That's…"

"Your middle name. I know." Beyond sighed. "Honestly. You act like him, too…" He muttered under his breath.

Mariko did hear it, but it sounded like he didn't want it to be heard, so she said nothing and kept her mouth closed.

"Why do you wish to die, anyway?" Beyond asked, turning his head to the side. He looked nervous. Maybe he didn't like being out in public.

"Would you like to meet me back in my hotel room? We can talk there."

What had possessed Mariko to ask a serial killer into her home, however temporary, was beyond her.

But nevertheless, she found herself navigating her way through the city of Los Angeles, showing a serial killer to her hotel room.

Thought definitely one of the worst decisions of her lifetime, it was not one she necessarily regretted.

So, despite the crazy, spur-of-the-moment movement, it may have actually been a good decision.

"Tea?" She asked as the crazy killer sat down."Hm? Oh, yes. Please."Mariko nodded briefly and put the kettle on. "So…" Beyond once again fingered the notebook. "Please explain to me how this works.""Well… Alright. You've already seen the eyes, right?"

"I have them myself."

"So you understand. You can see names and life spans, right?"

"Yes. And I will assume you can only see initials?"

"Yeah."

Silence ensued.

"You really don't know?" Mariko asked softly.

"Yes. Why else would I ask you?"

"I'm… not sure."

"Don't ask stupid questions."

"Alright."

It was quiet for several moments once again.

"So this notebook… how _does _it work, again?"

Mariko sighed softly and began pouring the tea as the kettle began to whistle.

"A Shinigami has taken over a portion of my mind, and I have his second notebook."

Beyond looked as though he had been slapped across the face.

"A Shinigami?"

"Yes. His name is Ryuk."

Beyond stared at her blankly. "Amazing."

Mariko stared at him. "What's so amazing?"

"It's just… I've never met anyone else with eyes." With that said, his scarlet irises glimmered.

Mariko blinked and passed him the cup. "Me neither." She murmured, shutting her eyes briefly.

"So where is L?"Mariko gave him a critical look. "I'm not telling you until you're willing to write my name in that notebook."

Beyond stared at her for a moment. "Then how about an agreement. You show me L, then I kill you."

Mariko considered his proposition for a moment, then nodded briefly.

"It's a deal."

Then she extended her hand, and Beyond shook it.

~x~

L was not having a good day.

Beyond was not an easy culprit to catch. Never had been.

However, it was not an easy nor amusing task to try to track down and capture his look-alike.

He sighed, walking down the hallway at his usual slow, drawn-out pace.

He opened the door, and almost slipped.

L glanced down in confusion.

A piece of paper?

He picked it up and blinked.

_L--_

_I hope this letter finds you well._

_I snuck into the hotel and slipped it under your door, in hopes that you were still here._

_Please meet me at the coordinates below at midnight tonight._

_Signed,_

_mL_

L almost let out a laugh.

mL.

The L was capitalized as if it had much more importance than the M.

It was scrawled out in the Cloister Black font, the same font he used for his L.

That was utterly ridiculous.

He glanced down and stared at the coordinates before glancing up at the name again.

Signed, mL.

What a ridiculous notion.

**Hi guys!**

**Sorry for making you wait so long. I had major trouble with this chapter.**

**But it's updated.**

**I'm sad to say that part one will be coming to an end soon. Maybe in a chapter.**

**And now, I kind of know better how extreme or graphic the sexual stuff will be. I'd say a four out of ten. So I'm keeping the rating as teen, kids eleven and over would comprehend this, so I'm keeping it the way it is.**

**For those of you worried about how much longer there will be…**

**A lot.**

**A whole lot.**

**We're not even a third of the way through. We've barely touched on the plot so far.**

**So don't worry. XD**

**Thanks for being loyal so far!**

**--Rem**


	12. Innocence

**Here we go.**

**The last chapter in part one.**

**Squeeee.**

**I just did a peanut butter facial and I put cucumbers over my eyes. It's great! Try it some time! Especially if you're in your teens, with acne-prone skin.**

**Like me.**

**But I'm not in my teens yet.**

**Anyway, I think this is the last chapter we'll see Mariko as a ten-year-old.**

**Everyone say goodbye to the innocent child-chick!**

**Next time she'll be fourteen!**

**You may get a glimpse of her, but that'll be it.**

**Thanks to these users for being very loyal in reviewing:**

**Bloom Momomiya, Sougo 13, and Michi-nin!**

**Now, I do want to present a warning.**

**If you're weak of heart, don't read this chapter.**

**:3**

**--Rem**

Silence.

Dead, absolute silence.

That was the only thing ringing through Mariko's ears as she stood on the edge of the cliff.

L wasn't coming.

Why had she even thought that he would? It was clear by the way that he acted, he clearly hadn't cared.

So why would he come now?

Her cheeks flushed red at the thought of the tone of the letter she had left him.

Beyond was staying in the bushes behind her.

He was probably quite angry now.

But Beyond was a nice person, he'd understand.

"Well, well. It appears he's not coming."

Mariko jumped.

"B-beyond?"

Beyond rolled his eyes. "Of course, you twit. Who else?"

Mariko sighed. "I know he's not coming."

Beyond nodded, eyes glinting. "It's quite… the unfortunate outcome."

Mariko blinked and nodded. "I know…"

Beyond laughed suddenly, throwing his head back. "Kyahahaha!"

He sounded like Ryuk when he laughed, and Mariko took a cautious step backwards.

The serial killer grinned. "I was… quite hoping to kill two Lawliets with one stone. Get rid of you. Get rid of L. Of course there's still that _idiot _albino boy… But I could kill him easily."

Near.

The thought sent chills down her spine.

Why had she been so stupid?

She would die here, stabbed to death.

The headlines flashed across her mind.

_Girl found dead - Identity unknown!_

Mariko trembled slightly.

"Of course… I think since the other idiot hasn't shown up…" A grin exploded onto his face. "I could have some fun." Then he dove for her.

A loud scream escaped her lungs as she tried to kick and claw her way out.

But those efforts were only met by cold steel.

Blood trickled down her arm and she sounded a cry of pain.

"I'm going to tell you something." Beyond whispered in her ear. "This will be quiet, Neko-chan. It will not necessarily be quick."

With that, he laughed once again and dug the knife into her shoulder blade, her mouth was forced down into the dirt, stopping her from screaming. Three more short slashes, and if her mind hadn't been on overload, she would have recognized the shape to be a B.

Blood streamed down her back, staining the ground below.

"Kill me!"

Beyond chucked. "Oh, no, no, no. Not yet."

Before she even realized what was happening, her back slammed violently against a tree, a half-scream escaping her lips.

"And the most fun part is… No one can hear you scream! Kyahahaha!" Beyond then laughed, reaching for the zipper on her jeans.

The rest of the night sounds were crowded with muffled screams, the sound of ripping cloth, and Beyond's absolutely crazy Shinigami laugh.

~x~

When it was all said and done, and Mariko couldn't bring herself to scream any longer, hours later, when she didn't have any energy left, and when she just flat-out wanted to die, (Much, much worse than before, may I add.) that was when Beyond seemed to decide to end it.

"You know why I did this, Neko-chan?" Beyond asked, his bloodcurdling laugh ringing out.

Then he moved slightly closer to her ear.

"Because I love you."

It was only then she realized she was inches from the edge of the cliff.

Then falling.

Falling.

_Falling._

Boom.

~x~

Ryuk chuckled from his spot up in the tree.

These human creatures were amusing.

He sighed. It would be so boring if she died now…

He acknowledged this as Mariko, almost lifeless, seemed to fall in slow motion. He stared at Beyond, who was already leaving, laughing quietly to himself.

Ryuk sighed.

Well, she could live longer.

He saw more… amusement in this life…

Maybe there would be.

With that, Ryuk grinned, stood up, spread his wings, and dove straight down over the cliff(While cackling madly) to save L's daughter.

_And so ends Part One of Signed, mL: Blood in the Snow_

_Crime butchers innocence to secure a throne, and innocence struggles with all its might against the attempts of crime. --Maximilien Robespierre_

**I saw District Nine! It was great! GO SEE IT!**

**Sorry about ANOTHER short chapter. But it's not like I could squeeze a bunch in here. Next time you see MariMari, she'll be fourteen.**

**Wow, big jump, eh?**

**Next chapter starts with no POV, then Near's.**

**I want everyone to review for this.**

**And I have one question:**

**WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN NEXT?**

**And what do you think is a predictable ending?**

**I want to hear your opinions and ideas. Who knows? They might give me real ideas.**

**Also, for all you Light IMAGAY fans, he makes an appearance in the sequel. And he plays a large roll.**

**For those of you who are curious, the sequel will be named **_**Frozen River, Happy Birthday.**_** So you can use that in your predictions if you want.**

**Thanks to all my loyal reviewers so far!**

**--Rem**


	13. Dancer

_Part Two: A Thoroughbred Whammy Kid_

"_Swing, swing, swing_

_From the tangles of_

_My heart is crushed By a former love_

_Can you help me find a way_

_To carry on again?"_

_-- All-American Rejects, "Swing, Swing" _

The terror never really did quit for Mariko.

She spent three years closed up in that same hotel room.

A new owner took over.

This new owner didn't rent the room out to anyone, feeling bad for the supposedly agoraphobic girl.

These two years, this owner would bring her leftover food, though he never saw the girl's face.

She seemed terrified of anything and everything.

But, it was three years later, when this owner saw the girl for the first time.

And this owner suggested she take some sort of extracurricular activity.

And after that suggestion, that was what changed everything.

Mariko enrolled herself in a traveling dance squad that was centered in LA.

She danced because she was angry, she danced because she was guilty, and she danced because she loved it.

During this period of dance, she met a friend.

This friend lived in an apartment by herself, her parents were constantly traveling.

And this friend invited Mariko to stay with her.

And Mariko accepted, finally moving out of the hotel.

And this is where we continue.

~x~

Near sighed and ran a hand through his snowy hair.

Here he was.

In LA.

Again.

A nostalgic sense came over him.

This was very, very annoying.

Why L had returned to Los Angeles, and not even tell him _why…_

He was still angry at L for the way he had been towards Mariko.

That look she had given L… It almost made him want to kill himself.

He glanced down the street he was walking on. It wasn't too busy.

Hollywood was interesting, of course, it was just… Boring to be alone in.

Near sighed and gently kicked a rock down the sidewalk, landing it on George Lopez's star in the Walk of Fame.

He rolled his eyes and turned around, beginning to walk in a different direction.

He walked for several minutes, taking random turns, barely paying attention to anything.

And then, he heard music.

He glanced over at the place it was coming from.

Some sort of studio, maybe?

Curious, Near approached the building and glanced in the window.

Unsurprisingly, it was what looked like some team of dancers, dressed in leotards and tights, their hair up in either ponytails or buns, stretching on ballet bars or across the floor.

He was about to turn away and continue walking, when something caught his eye.

Another girl had just walked out.

Chills went down his spine as she began to spin across the floor.

It was Mariko.

She was quite, different of course, however.

For one thing, her chest was quite… ample. It was slightly disturbing for him to watch, especially every time she leaped or jumped.

Her hair was of the same length, down to her hips. Though it was hard to tell, her hair was in a bun, and the rest of it just hung loose behind her head.

On top of that, she seemed to have put aqua and light purple streaks in her hair.

But it was definitely Mariko.

Near was silent for several moments, staring at his old friend from four years ago.

He ended up staying there for a good hour, hoping not to be noticed by anyone, and was successful.

Finally, the girls filed out of the building, either in twos or threes, almost all of them.

He waited several more moments for Mariko, and finally, she filed out, paired with a blonde girl.

They were chattering wildly, and didn't even seem to notice Near. "MisaMisa, did you see that jump I landed?""Yeah, MariMari! It was great!"

"Ahhh~! I hope I do great in that concert, or I'll be dead!""You'll be fine, you're the Prima, MariMari!"

MariMari?

Near blinked at Mariko now.

Either she was ignoring him, or didn't see him yet.

She was wearing an overabundance of eyeliner, heavy false eyelashes, and some blue gunk was smeared across her eyelid.

Her hair was still up in that bun/ponytail.

Her skirt was purple, plaid, and ridiculously short.

She wore a tight, black strapless shirt with it.

It was even more disturbing than the heavy purple lipstick she wore.

They were chattering wildly about something Near didn't quite hear, when Mariko turned around and did a double take.

When she turned around for the second time, her jaw dropped. "MisaMisa… Go… Go ahead without me." She murmured.

The blonde girl with her hair in odd mini-pigtails bounced happily along, acknowledging Mariko with a mere nod.

Mariko took a single step forward. "Why are you here?" She asked harshly, a growl rumbling in her throat.

He hadn't expected that."Mariko, you… I didn't know you danced."

Well, people do say men say stupid things when they're around a girl.

"You don't know a lot of things." Mariko hissed irritably.

Near glanced to the side, sighing. "What's wrong?"Mariko stared at him, coal gaze hard as… Well, coal. "You know, Near. You know what you did to me."

What on earth was she talking about?

Near couldn't recall doing anything to Mariko. Not that he knew of…

"Mariko… What are you talking about?"

Mariko's gaze didn't falter.

"Shut up and put your money where your mouth is."

Near almost fell over. He had heard a song like that before… What was it…?

Near wracked his brain for a moment, then he suddenly remembered the next line in the song.

That's what you get for waking up in Vegas.

That was it.

And, with a hint of terror, Near realized what Mariko was talking about.

That's what you get for leaving me alone.

That's what you get for leaving me to fend for myself.

That's what you get for being my only friend.

Mariko must have seen the look of realization on his face, for she turned around and began to swiftly walk away. Near quickly moved forward, and grabbed her shoulder. His eye caught something he really hadn't wanted to see.

Mariko hissed and threw her elbow at him.

But he had already seen it.

The scars on her back.

One of them was in the shape of a B.

"What did you see?" Mariko hissed, backing him up against a tree with arms on either side of him.

"Your back." Near answered slowly, suddenly slightly terrified. What had happened…?

"What did you see on my back?" Mariko's face was suddenly closer than ever, her nose touching Near's.

"A…. A B…."

Before he could figure out what was happening, Mariko had pushed his head forward, forcing her lips onto him.

Near was completely taken off guard.

He shoved Mariko backwards, only to find his hands met her chest in a way that may be considered obscene.

Then Mariko voluntarily pulled away. Her leg was lifted slightly so it met his hips, and she chuckled. "That one was so you didn't ask." Then she backed away and brushed herself off as if nothing had happened.

Near was completely stunned.

"So… I guess I'll see you 'round, then." Mariko muttered with a giggle, before turning around, and walking away, humming softly to herself.

Near watched her leave.

Girls were really, really, really odd specimens.

**:3 So whaddya think about Slutty Mari?**

**This world of ours is a crazy one, I'll give you that.**

**Tell me your predictions now that you've seen this chapter!**

**Tried to make it longer to make up for the last ones. **

**Thanks for being loyal reviewers!**

**--Rem**


	14. Date

Mariko sighed dreamily.

"And he was sooo CUTE!" She squealed, almost jumping on top of Misa.

"I bet he was! He looked absolutely adorable!" Misa nodded in agreement. "He gets the MisaMisa seal of approval from me!" Misa squealed, giving Mariko a huge thumbs-up.

"Eeep~!" Mariko shouted as she nearly fell onto the carpet. "Hey, if I take a shower, can you help me with my hair?" She asked, tipping her head to the side.

"Sure! I wanna play arounnddd~!" Misa sang.

"Alright, alright." Mariko laughed and walked into the bathroom, stepping into the shower.

She sighed quietly once she was undressed and allowed the warm water jets to stream down her back, quickly soaking her hair.

The muscles in her back seemed to relax on their own.

She sighed.

Stupid Near.

Why did he come back?

Why did he have to come back?

The idiot.

She sighed and grabbed the bottle of shampoo, pouring a huge amount on her head.

Long hair wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Letting her head fall back, almost as if embracing the water, she sighed and gently massaged the shampoo through her hair.

"This was supposed to be a new life…" She sighed and closed her eyes. "Why is he here?" She whispered, hoping Misa wouldn't hear her under the loud sound of the spraying shower jets.

Misa would take hours and hours to do her hair, she knew it… But maybe she'd see Near again.

Oooh.

What if Near had come to ask her out?

That would change everything.

He was so _adorable_, too. His expression of shock and surprise when Mariko had kissed him was too cute for her to handle.

Then she sighed.

That wasn't the reason he was here.

Maybe L had had some sort of thing…

She wasn't sure.

Then a sick feeling dropped in the pit of her stomach. Something was terribly, terribly wrong here.

She just didn't know what.

Turning off the shower and wrapping herself in a towel, Mariko didn't bother to wring her hair out as she stepped out into the small apartment space. "Misa, I'm ready!""Come into my bathroom, I have stuff here!" Came Misa's muffled cry, probably through the wall.

Mariko sighed and walked into Misa's bathroom.

Sure enough, the blonde was armed with a blow dryer and a hairbrush.

"Sit here." Misa gestured to a folding chair in front of the mirror, for once, a serious gleam in her eye.

"Alright, just don't shoot." Mariko chuckled, sitting down.

"Take out the extensions."

Mariko frowned. "Why?" She liked the purple and aqua extensions.

"Because. I need to blow dry." Misa muttered, already unclipping and pulling out the hair extensions and laying them on the table.

Mariko sighed and began to help her friend, soon her hair was the natural, long, midnight-colored raven hair that belonged to her.

"Now flip your hair over."

Mariko sighed. Well, she had asked for it. Literally.

But she obliged, sighing

For two hours, this carried on. Mariko had to lean her head this way and that, while Misa pulled out gels and hair ties and combs and brushes and curlers.

When Misa was finally satisfied with the twelve cups of goop in Mariko's hair, she stopped and stepped back, putting her hand to chin in a look of contemplation.

Mariko's hair was put up in two curled pigtails, and she had to admire Misa's handiwork, not a single strand of hair was out of place.

"Hey, MariMari?" Misa asked, suddenly edging slightly closer and doing a little bit of messing with her left ponytail with the comb.

"Yeah?" Mariko asked, tipping her head slightly so Misa could get to it easier.

"If you had the chance, would you pose nude in a magazine? Like… Playboy or something?"

Mariko's eyes widened. "Wh… What?"

"Would you pose nude for a magazine? Or be, like, a porn star?"

Mariko choked slightly on her own throat. "Of… Of course not!"

"… Alright. I was just wondering."

"Why?" Mariko asked softly. Of course she'd never do that. She glanced at herself in the mirror. The color had drained out of her face.

She couldn't believe Misa would even think about her doing that.

She wouldn't think about doing that in general. Especially… Especially not after…

Mariko felt herself shuddering slightly.

Not after Beyond.

Not after him.

The memories flashed before her eyes, and Mariko stood up abruptly.

"MariMari…"

"MisaMisa, can you give me a second? I need to step outside…"

Mariko very quickly walked outside to the deck of the apartment and let her face fall into her hands, elbows resting on the railing.

Tears were soon running down her arms and dripping down the railing. "Near, you idiot." She hissed under her breath. "Why are you here?"

The apartment only being on the second floor, anyone walking on the street below could see what was happening on the deck. Mariko hadn't cared who saw her at that point, unless it was the particular person that came along.

"Mariko?" It was just a soft question from below. A small gesture.

Mariko took her hands from her tear-streaked face and stared below.

"Near?"

Near was standing below, looking up with concern. "What's… wrong?"

Mariko wiped her eyes, mascara, eyeliner, and eye shadow causing dark smears to run across her face.

"N… Nothing." Mariko muttered, shaking her head. "Wh… What the hell are you doing here?" She muttered, trying to put on her persona again.

"I was just walking… Then I saw you up there… What's wrong?"

Mariko pursed her lips. "Do… Do you want to go to lunch and talk about it?" She asked softly, backing up a nanometer.

"Sure. I'll buy. Meet me down here when you're ready."

Mariko smiled softly and went back inside.

Finally, she was going on a date with Near.

And Mariko was going to tell him everything.

**D'aw.**

**Well, I hope this provided some insight into Mariko's point of view right now. :3**

**Now you kinda know what's going on in everyone's head.**

**Noowww.**

**If you guys want more insight onto the sequel, I'm going to give you a song to listen to.**

"**Are You Ready?" by Three Days Grace.**

**That's about it. :3 You guys keep guessing what's going to happen as more is revealed!**

**--Rem**


	15. Note

**WHOAHWHOAHWHOAH. :3 Two reviews from new people.**

**Yaaaay! I love reviews! **

**Gaiiizz. Please review as often as you can and tell someone else you know that might be into this fandom to read and review. It actually makes me update faster, the more reviewers I have. :3**

**--Rem**

"… And that's everything that happened after you left." Mariko's eyes darted away from the Chicken Caesar Wrap sitting on the cheap paper plate in front of her up to Near's face, nervously searching his snowy eyes.

He was silent for a moment, jaw slightly slack. "Mariko…"

Mariko waited for him to continue, the awkward environment really getting to her.

"Wow, you're screwed." Ryuk muttered. "At least you didn't say anything about the eyes, like that last dude."

_Shut the hell up. I was depressed._

"Che, whatever."

Mariko sighed inwardly. She knew she had Ryuk to thank for still being alive, but it still annoyed her how annoying he could be.

"Mariko, I need to make a call."

Near took a clamshell cellular phone from his pocket and walked over to the far corner of the café they were in.

Mariko only caught small bits and pieces of it.

"Mello, give… Tell Matt …Need Roger…. Girl… Backup… Three years… Sexual assault… Thoroughbred Whammy kid."

Mariko paused and sighed, returning her attention to her wrap, carefully picking it up with two hands.

After several more moments of unheard conversation, Near came back, cell phone still flipped out. "Here." He muttered, passing Mariko the phone.

Mariko pressed it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello. You're name is… Mariko, correct?"

"… Yes."

"You're the prima ballerina at USA Dance Studio?"

"Yes."

"And you're often seen with Misa Amane?"

Mariko nodded softly, though she knew whoever was on the other end couldn't see it.

There was a clicking noise that could have been a computer mouse.

"Alright."

Mariko waited for a moment before asking.

"Alright what?"

"Mariko, I'm a caretaker of sorts at an orphanage in London."

"I'm not an…"

Mariko stopped herself.

Well, she couldn't be sure of it. L had denied every stupid little detail. Any kind of hint.

The idiot hadn't even shown up, resulting in, partially because of her own stupidity, but mainly L's, her innocence being taken away.

No.

That wasn't the right word.

_Stolen. Thieved. Snatched._

Any of those would do.

Not taken away. That wasn't harsh enough.

"Orphan? You don't have to be."

Mariko sighed and nodded, trying to cool off her immediate fury and hate of the man that had violated her so harshly so many years ago.

"Alright. So what are you saying?"

"Mariko, we believe you to be far above average than the average teenager. How many languages do you know?"

Mariko paused. "Er… There are at least five that I know of. English, Spanish, um… Mandarin Chinese… Japanese… and French."

"Ahhh…" The man on the other line seemed to be thinking. "That's interesting. Thank you for your time, Mariko. I feel I may be seeing you soon. May I speak to Near again?"

Mariko shrugged slightly, trying to ignore that comment about seeing her soon. What did he mean?

She pondered this before passing the phone back to Near and taking another bite of her wrap.

"Mmm. Alright. Okay. Alright, thanks, Roger."

Near snapped the cell phone shut and slipped it into his pocket.

He leaned forward with an intent look on his face, fingers woven together, chin resting on them. "So."

"So?"

Near leaned back and sighed, as if dropping some sort of act. "Look, you remember that orphanage school thing I was from that I told you about four years ago?"

"Yeah?"

"He's from there. Mariko, you're amazing. You're… Like, a prodigy or something."

"What?"

Mariko was giving him a "You idiot" look, and slowly brought the straw of her diet coke to her mouth.

"What I mean to say is, do you want to come back with me?"

"WHAT?" Mariko stood up abruptly, snarling slightly. "I can't leave! I've got a concert coming up and everything! Besides, what would I tell Misa? She's my best friend!"

Mariko hadn't realized her voice had elevated to a shout, and she had brought herself to her feet immediately, eyes burning.

The very few people in the café stared at her as she slowly sat down.

"I understand you might not like the idea, but… Think about it. Mariko, you'd be able to talk to people that go through the same thought process you do. Mariko, you know you're different."

"Look, I don't need this, okay? I'm just going to go."

Mariko sighed and stood up, shaking her head abruptly. "Here's my cell. If you need anything… Just call, okay?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Mariko hissed, still angry at him. "You're an idiot." She turned around abruptly in order to leave, hearing Near let out an exasperated sigh.

She began to step away, and she glanced out the door to look at Near.

And that look…

That look of confusion and worry.

That was embedded in Mariko's mind forever.

~x~

"He was such a jerk. He was like, 'You need to do this.'" Mariko cried. She had replaced her normal voice that she had been using with Near to the high, squeaky voice that she used with Misa.

They were both hugging pillows, sitting on Misa's bed.

"Aw, MariMari! He sounds like a jerk! I think he changed too much." Misa murmured sympathetically , patting Mariko softly on the shoulder.

Misa sometimes wasn't of any comfort at all, but even if she wasn't, Mariko acted like she was. The poor girl.

Well, Misa tried. Misa was a good person, just not the brightest bulb in the chandelier.

Usually, Mariko just found her own way out if she was in a bind.

Mariko sighed, thoughtfully fingering Near's cell phone number in her pocket. Maybe she should consider this…

**I've found treacherous news. L's daughter is a popular idea. XD**

**But then again.**

**Not all of them are OCxNear. Not all of them have incorporated canons the way I have.**

**So, I guess it's alright. I mean, I've got Ryuk in here, came up with a totally new way for Shinigami to give humans a Death Note.**

**So, you know, I guess it's okay. Besides, you'll find it's a little more unique from the others once you see the sequel. :3**

**--Rem**

**PS - Guys, there's an anime convention down here in my town in Destin, Florida.**

**It's called Anime South.**

**I'll possibly be setting up a table there and be selling prints of this without the author's note, correct formatting, breaking, heading formats, and footnotes where necessary, ect.**

**They'll probably just be in paperback.**

**If not, I might do it next year, or sell little previews for maybe a dollar or two. Anyway, it'd be cool if someone who read this was there. :3 Now hit that button bellow this.**


	16. Music

**Arrrggghhh.**

**August 25th**** was the first day of Seventh grade. Blehhhh.**

**But, none of my teachers seem like jerks, which is good, I've established kind-of friendships with a lot of them, which is good.**

**--Rem**

**PS - Here's a somewhat translation for those of you who might not understand the dance terminology.**

**Grande Battement - A huge kick, sometimes ended to finish dances dramatically**

**Pirouette - A spin on one leg.**

**Pique - The heel touching the knee, you've prolly seen it before. **

Mariko paused nervously.

Oh God.

Oh God.

Oh God.

What if she messed up?

Seeing Misa's perfectly finished grande battement had made her nearly fall over.

Oh God… She always tripped after landing a kick like that…

Nervously fingering the hem of the subtly colored sky-blue dress as Misa exited at the opposite end of the stage.

As the cue began to play. A soft lively array of brass instruments, she almost froze and missed it.

Instinctively, she spun out to the center of the stage, ending in a soft leap.

Eyes scanning the audience on instinct, she almost tripped as she spotted the familiar albino in the audience.

Near? Why was Near here?

On instinct, she let herself fall into the choreography. She couldn't mess this up, especially if Near was there.

Filing out into a pique, she let herself fall into the music.

She'd always loved this song…

"_Where it began,_

_I can't begin to knowin'_

_But then I know it's growin' strong"_

As one of the only males in the studio twirled out and grabbed her hand, she sighed and let him twirl her, then dipped.

"_Was in the spring_

_And spring became the summer_

_Who'd have believed you'd come along?"_

The boy's name was Nick.

They had gone out for a while, about six months ago. They had broken up, it had simply been awkward, though they had, unlike most couples claimed, stayed close friends.

"_Hands, touchin' hands_

_Reaching out_

_Touching me_

_Touching you"_

Mariko was slowly losing herself as Nick gently swept her up bridal style and let her down in a spin. They were quickly gaining momentum…

"_Sweet Caroline_

_Good times never seemed so good_

_I've been inclined_

_To believe they never would."_

Mariko wasn't even paying attention to the movements they were making any more, having done this so many times.

"_But now I_

_Look at the night_

_And it don't seem so lonely_

_We fill it up with only two_

_And when I hurt_

_Hurtin' runs off my shoulders_

_How can I hurt when I'm with you_?"

The movements were slower now, though it was still a quick swing dance…

"_Warm, touchin' warm_

_Reaching out_

_Touching me_

_Touching you"_

Smirked as everyone, especially the slightly older crowd, began to catch on, clapping with the song, as Nick grabbed a firm grip on her wrist and spun her across the floor, gently bringing her back up.

"_Sweet Caroline_

_Good times never seemed so good_

_I've been inclined_

_To believe they never would._

_Oh, no, no."_

The crowd clapped maniacally, a few of them shouting out and cheering, already beginning to stand up and clapping.

Then came the prep for the lift.

"_Sweet Caroline_

_Good times never seemed so good _

_I've been inclined_

_I believe they n_ever _could._

_Sweet Caroline!"_

Several more spins and turned insued, though they were slowly prepping, and as the song slowed at the end, for the lasting note, Nick lifted Mariko up above his head.

Everyone exploded into applause, most of them standing up. That group standing up included Near, who was smirking softly, applauding slowly. She saw the look in his eyes. He was going to talk to her after everyone was let out.

Mariko sighed and exited with a small twirl.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was a crowd of people on the side of the studio, where everyone was released. At this point, it was only people that were related to anyone in the performance in any way.

Near had to find Mariko. He stood up on his toes and scanned the crowd, trying to find her. Finally, he spotted her, talking to a brown-haired boy.

She looked rather frustrated.

As Near approached, he heard more and more of the conversation.

"Brad, I broke up with you for a reason."

"Oh, honey, don't be that way. You know what I want." Brad touched Mariko's cheek softly, and she whipped her head around..

"Yes, I do. And you're not getting it. Now look, leave before I call security."

Near found himself clenching his teeth together. What did this guy think he was doing?

"Hey, loser!" He called, making his way through the crowd.

Brad looked over. "Che. Who're you?" He muttered, lifting his chin as if he was much bigger than Near. Which, he kind of was.

"Someone you want to get away from, _now._"

"You in what army?" Brad snickered.

"Me!" Mariko shouted, suddenly kneeing Brad between the legs. He gasped and howled, immediately running off, still snarling. "You'll pay for that!" He hissed, dashing off.

"You okay?" Near muttered, glancing at Mariko worriedly.

"Yeah, fine, whatever." Mariko muttered. "Anyway, what are you doing here?" She muttered, shaking her head blankly.

"I just wanted to see you."

"Well…" Mariko slowly leaned back against the wall of the building. "I was thinking… About taking you up on that offer. You know, with the… school."

Near noted how she hadn't said anything about it actually being an orphanage.

"Really?" Near asked happily, smiling. "That's great!"

This was wonderful, he'd just call Roger, and Mariko would go back to London with him.

"But…" Mariko interrupted, looking down.

"There's one condition."

Near glanced over. "What's that?"

**YAY. Finally updated! Sorry it took so long!**

**Love you guys, please tell your friends about this fic! **

**REVIEW!**

**--Rem**


	17. Flight

**Mistake in the dance terminology in the last author's note. Pique should be Passe.**

Near shifted softly, being careful as to not disturb Mariko.

They had taken off from Los Angeles, Mariko had packed three suitcases, a laptop case, and her purse. The last two, of course, were carry-on.

Near was staring out the window, Mariko had fallen asleep, her head was now resting on his shoulder.

Strangely, though Near hadn't said anything, Mariko had worn much less makeup than usual, and the little she had worn, was completely natural.

Feeling her warm breath on his neck, it was almost a good thing.

Near kept telling himself they had remained friends. It had only been a kiss, a flirt. It hadn't been anything.

Still, her soft, warm breath on the skin of his neck felt wonderful.

And if she slept until the end of the flight, she'd be like that for another seven hours.

Mariko had informed Near that the streaks were just extensions, and she had left them out for the flight. She looked…

Like herself.

Like who she was.

Mariko had agreed to come with him to London, but her one condition had been that she could leave at any time she wished. Near had told her he'd check, and she had agreed to come. He really didn't know. He'd never said yes.

He was just glad she had agreed to come. The plane was rather empty, it was a rather off season, February. Sure, people were seated in there, but they had no one in front of them, or anyone else in their row.

Near sighed and let his eyes slowly close, drifting to sleep.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Near, we're here." Mariko sighed blankly, shaking the sleeping Near.

Near slowly opened his eyes. "Whaaa…?"

"Near. We landed. I didn't want to take you." Mariko sighed. The dope had slept the whole way. Or, the part of the way she could remember. She had been asleep as well… Sighing and blinking as Near slowly woke up, the plane stopped taxiing at the gate. "Nice, lord sleeps-a-lot." She muttered, grabbing her purse from underneath the seat and standing up, opening the overhead bin to grab her laptop.

"So this is London?"

"You haven't seen much of it yet, stupid." Near muttered dryly, standing up and brushing himself off.

Mariko passed him her heavy laptop case, which he accepted with a grunt. "You could say please…"

"Pleassseee." Mariko murmured in her sugary-sweet voice.

"Fiiine." Near sighed and walked out into the isle, Mariko swinging her purse slightly, giving him a stupid look.

Near seemed to sigh softly as they entered the gate, smiling quietly. "Well, this is it." He murmured. "At this point, there should be a chauffer waiting for us… Ah!"

Mariko glanced to where Near's attention had been drawn, an official-looking, almost weasel-looking man was sitting at the gate, holding up a sign that read, "Whammy."

Mariko flashed him an innocent smile as he hoisted her laptop and walked over. "I believe you'd be looking for us."

The weasel-man glanced up through his shades. "River?"

"Yeah."

Near suddenly looked slightly nervous, shooting Mariko a worried look. Her brow furrowed in confusion, then she realized something. She had never really bothered to take a look at his initials, NR.

Feeling like an idiot, she sighed briefly as she followed Near and weasel-dude back to the car.

An exhale of surprised escaped her as she stepped outside of the airport. Two flags flown overhead, St. George's cross, and the Union flag.

"Surprised?" Near asked with a chuckle. "This is London."

The sky was in plain view, a very light cover of cirrus clouds overhead. The beautiful skyline of downtown London was visible, outlined against the skyline.

After the long eleven hour flight, this view was magnificent.

"Well? You've barely seen any of it." Near chuckled softly. "Get in the car, there's a lot more."

Mariko blinked slightly, being brought back to her senses, and entered the car, Near after her. "This is amazing…" She muttered, almost pressing her face against the dark window as they began to move.

"Calm down, there's still a lot more to see. We've got a bit of a drive ahead of us."

Mariko nodded briefly and leaned back, closing her eyes and readying herself.

**~x~**

Ryuk smirked.

Light Yagami, eh?

Looked interesting enough.

Oh, but that meant that he'd have to kill Mariko.

With that, he frowned slightly. And it was getting so good…

Well, he had known he would eventually have to kill her.

He didn't think he'd told her that yet.

Oops. He'd have to let her know.

This was quite the debate.

He observed this while sitting on top of the roof of the Whammy house.

Who was the one guy?

Oh. Beyond Birthday.

Suddenly, he realized a plan was formed in his head.

Oh, how plain it was that Mariko and the albino boy would have a relationship…

Ryuk allowed himself another loud, drawn-out cackle.

Why hadn't this been noticed before?

Oh, this… This would be fun to watch.

Still chuckling, Ryuk pulled out his Death Note and scribbled down Mariko Beyond Lawliet.

Followed by his plan.

**Okay.**

**So.**

**Here we go.**

**I want to keep hearing your predictions as the story unfolds. And here's where it begins to get better and better. **

**If anyone cares enough, listen to the song "45" by Shinedown, then give me your prediction in a review. Because that song will tell you a lot about my plans.**

**--Rem**

**PS - Guys, please review! I only have two people that are actually reviewing. I'd just appreciate it and it might motivate me more if some people I didn't know reviewed every once in a while, no one remembers me on the fandom I was originally on on this website. D: So I'm feeling kinda down.**

**PSS - If anyone else wants to send me a friend request on Gaia or something, my username is MarikoLawliet. 8D**


	18. Whammy

**Well, I had some great predictions by Bloom Momomiya and Khaevdi, and even an interesting one from my friend Derek… (By 'interesting', I mean he said it's mainly guys in the house, and Mariko dresses like a slut. Party for Mello. XD)**

**But, yeah. Good predictions from those who reviewed!**

**For some reason, the most popular prediction was that Near would commit suicide after Mariko died.**

**Er.**

**Okay, let's keep on track here, there's a sequel. If both Mariko and Near die, who's it going to be about? O_o**

**Anyway, they were good any way.**

**^^ --Rem**

**PS - Imoti, one of the reviewers, said that I managed to create a character that meshed perfectly with Death Note.**

**In all honesty, this may sound incredibly conceited, however, it gets much, much better, especially once the sequel begins.**

"And this is the girl's dorm." Kima chattered on, waving her hand briefly. She had lead Mariko on and on through the winding passages of the house, waving a lock of her blonde hair out of her blue eyes.

"Did they give you your name yet?" Kima asked, tipping her head to the side.

"Er, yeah. They handed me some envelope…" Mariko shuffled around until she reached into her pocket and pulled it out, tearing it open with her thumb.

Her jaw dropped in disgust. "Milia." Shifting slightly with annoyance, Kima nodded. "That's better than a lot of our names! One girl who got transferred, her name was Gim. I felt _sooo_ bad for her!"

Milia?

That was the best they could come up with?

Annoyed, she crumpled the paper and sighed, sitting down on the bed Kima had determined as hers, the one in the far back of the room.

"Aw, it's alright. No one likes this at first. You'll get used to it." Kima smiled and tipped her head to the side.

"Yeah, whatever. Thanks." Mariko sighed and pushed her suitcases under the bed using her feet. "Thanks." She repeated, hoping to get the blonde away.

"I'll let you be now." Kima smiled and exited the girl's dorm. "Bye, Milia!" She sang, twirling out.

Mariko sighed and laid back down, spread eagle.

Where was she going to go from here?

She closed her eyes and stood up, deciding a shower wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Everyone was still going throughout their classes at four o' clock, they got out at five.

At least, the schedule she had looked at said so.

That left time for a shower. The insanely long flight from LA had driven her crazy, Mariko definitely felt as though she needed a shower.

Yawning and walking outside of the girl's dorm, she walked down the hallway to the bathroom, using her map to navigate throughout the house.

Finding her way to the bathroom, she grabbed a towel from the closet and stepped into the curtained area, removing her clothes and stepping into the shower.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Hey, did you hear about the new girl?"

"Yeah… I heard when Near was in America, he ran into this girl!"

"Does anyone know her name?"

"Yeah, it was… Um…"

"You idiot! You don't know it!"

The voices became less and less audible as the girls slowly approached. Mariko looked up as four girls entered, still towel-drying her raven hair, dressed in a clean pair of cropped jeans and an old, plain, white t-shirt.

All the girls paused and stared at her for a moment, as if sizing her up.

"What's your name?" One of them, with flat, dark brown hair and gray, dull-looking eyes, close to the front of the group asked.

"Mari- Milia." Mariko responded in an annoyed tone. (Mainly at herself for almost giving out her real name.)

"I'm Jemma." The dull-eyed girl answered. A slouched over blonde girl with vibrant green eyes behind the group chimed in quietly, "I'm Keila."

"I'm Emmie." Murmured a girl who appeared Hawaiian, dark eyes scanning Mariko.

"Azaela." Muttered a bored-looking brunette with dyed red tips, who was wearing way too much lip gloss.

There was a moment of awkward silence as the girls filed out to their beds, lined out on the walls. Four of them, two on each side of the oval-shaped room, with Mariko in the back, at the arc of the oval.

"… Where's Kima?" Mariko finally asked, trying to break the awkward silence.

"I think she had to finish some work because she was out helping you." Emmie answered, bright eyes glimmering.

Mariko noted the nine beds in the room, for on each side, then her own, in the recesses.

"So where are you from?" Keila asked in her usual soft voice, brushing her shoulder-length hair our of her eyes.

"Los Angeles."

"America? Wow! I thought they were just rumors." Jemma tipped her head to the side in incredulity. "I'm from Greenwich." Mariko had just then realized that she had an English accent.

There was another moment of silence, and Mariko harvested enough courage to inquire, "So where is everyone else from."

Azaela answered, with the ever-so-generalized bored voice, "Israel." Mariko apprehended how much Azaela reminded her of the lady who had run the hotel in LA.

"Honolulu." Emmie mumbled.

"South Africa." Keila whispered, and Mariko noted that her voice carried an accent, though it sounded more English than South African.

Mariko blinked faintly, realizing what a diverse group of people the House had congregated.

People from all over the world.

People from different cultures and religions and languages.

Blinking away her bemusement, she glanced at the other girls awkwardly for a moment.

"Anyone want to get food? Did they feed you on the flight, Milia?" Keila muttered.

Mariko shook her head. "I'm starving."

"They've probably opened the doors already." Jemma acknowledged, standing up and brushing her navy skirt off.

"I suppose we should go." Emmie said with a curt nod, standing up. Azaela and Keila stood up without saying anything, however, exchanging glances.

"Alright…" Mariko sighed and stood up.

"_Waaaaaait~!"_

Kima came skidding in, carrying two large, heavy-looking books.

"Oh, we were leaving. Dinner." Emmie murmured, tipping her head to the side, clearly amused.

Mariko smiled slightly. "Let's go, then!" She announced, laughing and throwing her fist forward

They left, laughing and telling jokes.

When they reached the almost cafeteria-like area, Mariko gasped.

A large screen was placed at the front, a projector hanging from the ceiling pointing at it.

There were no windows in the cafeteria, which she found slightly disturbing.

Several tables, quickly counting them, Mariko found there were four small tables, each sat around five people.

They must have been relatively early, for no one was there aside from a couple of agoraphobic-looking boys looking fearfully around, sitting close together at a table, they almost looked as though they were twins, possibly fraternal, matted, shaggy brown hair, not older than eleven.

Mariko blinked slightly at the bright fluorescent lights overhead. They were almost blinding.

"I wonder what we're eating." Jemma asked, her voice full of honest curiosity.

"Probably salmon. Again." Emmie complained, gesturing with her hands.

"Most likely." Keila agreed softly.

Azaela, who had been silent most of the time and traveling at the back of the group, murmured, "It would appear so…"

Jemma and Keila sighed in unison, both having annoyed and frustrated tones while grabbing one of the already set up plates on the window, the shutters closed.

"Want to sit here?" Azaela asked, surprisingly, some interest showing in her voice as she pointed to the second closest table.

Mariko shrugged, still holding her plate. "Doesn't matter to me."

After they were completely situated, Mariko brought together enough bravery to ask another question. "How old is everyone? I'm fourteen."

Azaela tipped her head sideways. "I'm thirteen."

"Sixteen." Jemma muttered.

"I'm eleven." Keila squeaked.

Kima paused. "I'm fifteen."

Mariko was once again filled with a sense of awe. Everyone was a different age.

Stabbing her plastic fork into the salmon, she watched as the cafeteria slowly filled, one of the last people to enter was Near.

He grabbed a plate and pulled up a vacant chair next to Mariko. "I see you're doing alright socially." He laughed quietly. Mariko was nearly finished.

Mariko sighed in agreement. "Hey, can I talk to you when you finish? … Alone?"

Azaela suddenly elbowed Near in the arm. "Hey, you gonna eat that asparagus?"

Near shook his head. "Take it, Aza."

Azaela frowned. "Don't call me that, 'kay?" She asked as she snatched up the asparagus from his plate as Near returned his attention to Mariko. "Sure. Nothing's wrong, is it?"

Mariko shook her head. She was actually quite interested in figuring out what his last name, R was. "Just want to know about something."

"Hey, Mariko."

Ryuk swiftly dove down behind Mariko, making her jump, she almost shouted out loud.

_Idiot! What were you thinking? I could have screamed!_

"Exactly. Anyway, I wanted to make sure you knew something. You can write down part of someone's name, and write down the rest of it later, then it'll take effect."

_Why didn't you say this before?_

"I figured you wanted to go to heaven or hell."

_WHAT?_

Mariko nearly spewed out her cup of water all over her roommates.

"A human who uses the Death Note to kill another human cannot go to heaven nor hell."

_Wh… Why?_

"I dunno. It's just a rule. Oh, and… well… When everything's all said and done, I'm going to kill you."

This time, Mariko really did announce it aloud.

"WHAT? What is that supposed to mean?" She had stood up in outrage, hands resting on the table.

Kima stared, Azaela gave her a blank look, Jemma looked confused, Keila looked worried, and Near looked concerned and enthralled.

Mariko slowly sat back down, trying to figure out a way to explain it, the girls looked awkwardly around, and Near continued giving her the same worried look.

Something Mariko didn't hear was muttered among the girls, and Ryuk continued talking as an awkward conversation ensued between the Whammy kids.

"I'm killing you when nothing more is going to happen. So live your life and do interesting stuff." Ryuk stated with a bored voice.

Mariko almost threw her head back. _You've got to be kidding._

"Nope. It's the only way I'll be released. You'll know when I'm going to kill you_. _You're a smart girl. Anyway, I need to go find some apples. Bye!" Ryuk zoomed out before Mariko could reply, still stunned and paralyzed by the sudden comment.

When the dinner was over, Mariko exited with Near, outside of the building. Mariko was surprised by how cold it had gotten, clouds were gathering over head, almost blotting out the stars. "Near, I have to ask you something that's been nagging at me for a while…"

Near nodded. "Go on."

Mariko shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. "Well… What's your last name?" She blurted it out uncontrollably, sighing slightly.

Near paused, seemingly taken aback for a moment and opened his eyes in what seemed to be a protest, before seeming as though he'd think better of it, shrugging slightly. "My real name is Nate River."

Mariko's mouth gaped slightly.

Of course.

For some reason, the thought that Near was his Whammy name had never occurred to her. He had always been registered in her mind as Near, not… Nate.

"But I like being called Near!" He rushed out, almost a little too fast to be believable.

Mariko sighed. "I… Alright." She closed her eyes, exhaustion suddenly spreading through every limb. "I'm going to bed." She murmured, whipping past him.

"Near… I can't… I… I have to think about something." Mariko shivered again, arms still wrapped around herself.

Near sighed and wrapped his arms around her. "Tell me what's bothering you." He ordered, looking seriously into her eyes.

Mariko trembled for a moment, then tears finally escaped her eyes and she broke out into sobs on his shoulder, shuddering out loud sobs.

And until she went to bed late that night, it was full of tears and hurt.

But it was also full of truths.

And Mariko told him everything this time. Absolutely everything.

Her eyes.

The Death Note.

Everything.

**www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=j6UetUJ_o2U**

**:3 Listen to this if you haven't already, then give me your predictions.**

**Me and my two friends, Paris and Derek, did a parody of a scene later on in this part, (Part 2) but Paris did it on her camera, and the file's screwed up, so I have to get over to her place and convert the file.**

**It was kinda funny. We used her Death Note and messed around with some stuff.**

**Anyway, www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=j6UetUJ_o2U and then predictions!**

**--Rem (That's how I sign my name in my diary now. O-o)**

**PS - HGAjgKALDSJFILDA. GREEN DAY HAS NO MORE CONCERTS IN THE US. /Sobs madly while listening to American Idiot album on iPod/ JESUS OF SUBURBIA, MAN. JESUS OF SUBURBIA.**

**PSS - Just watched Green Day on the MTV Video Awards. I agree with the vast majority, they shoulda chosen something besides East Jesus Nowhere to play. I love that song, but they coulda done something else. Viva La Gloria? Would have been cool. But, I would have loved to be on stage with all those other people. /cries/**


	19. Nightmare

**www(dot)playlist(dot)com/playlist/17945911563**

**Listen to this, I got bored and decided to screw with it. Listen while you read, darnit! I got bored one day without internet access.**

**This actually holds future information, so it'll help with predictions.**

**OH! I know what I haven't done in a while. You guys haven't heard it either, though you shall soon. (Duna duna, foreshadowing! What's that, you thought he was gone? Oh, no. He and Ryuk are the antagonists! Oh, and L. Kinda.)**

**Kyahahaha~!**

**--Rem**

After her talk with Near, Mariko slowly sneaked into the bedroom, where the girls were talking. The talking abruptly stopped as Mariko walked in, almost as if they had been talking about her. They were already in their pajamas. Mariko looked exhaustedly around and changed into her pajamas, slipping under the covers as they continued their hushed whispers.

Pretending to fall asleep, she heard as their whispers and mutters got louder.

"She's a loser." Jemma hissed. "She doesn't deserve to be here. What is she, crazy?"

"… I agree." Azaela muttered. "She's crazy. Screaming out randomly? Isn't that schizophrenic or something?"

"You guys are mean, stop making fun of her for having a disorder." Breathed an extremely quiet voice, Mariko thought it was Keila.

"Oh, shut up. You're not one to talk." Azaela hissed irritably. "Besides, we'll see how long she lasts in this house. No one survives with me here. I'll always be the top girl."

"Totally." Jemma agreed. "We'll have to get rid of her."

"We'll drive her out, I guess." Keila whispered.

"Alright. We'll just make her miserable enough to want to leave. Deal?" Jemma asked darkly.

"Deal." The other two agreed, still in hushed voices.

Mariko fell asleep, unshed tears in her eyes.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

The next day, Mariko unpacked while everyone was gone to classes. Roger had instructed her to do this, he wanted her to join classes on Monday, when the week was new.

She paused as her hand rested on her Death Note. Now where was this going to go?

"Y'know, every human I've ever given that thing to before, they've always had a problem hiding it. If someone touches it, they can see me. The last thing we need is a bunch of panic-attacked geniuses running around." Ryuk addressed, hovering up near the ceiling.

Mariko decided it would hurt to talk out loud. Who would be around to hear?

"I gotta agree with you on that. Tape it under the bed, maybe?"

"I suppose that's the best thing you can do."

Mariko shrugged and rummage through several drawers before finally finding a roll of silvery duct tape and taping the Death Note to the underside of the bed.

"That's taken care of." She muttered, dusting her hands off and returning it to the drawer next to Jemma's bed.

Mariko resumed putting the rest of her clothes away in the small dresser and section of a large closet that had been divided with the other girls, and after several minutes, she was finished.

She sighed, now exhausted, and laid down, spread-eagle, on the bed, closing her eyes.

"Oye, you just going to lay there like a bum all day?"

Mariko cracked open one eye. Near was standing in the doorway, slumped slightly, but grinning.

"Hey." She murmured, sighing.

"What's wrong?" Near made a face and approached her.

"Because of my crazy outburst last night at dinner, I am now deemed schizophrenic." She shot him a sarcastic smile, and he sighed.

"I'd figure that much. Don't think too much of it. That happens to everyone." His voice was slightly sympathetic.

"How'd you get in here any way? This is the no-guys zone, full of bra straps and tampons."

Near made a slightly disgusted face, and Mariko chuckled at the disturbance.

"Roger gave me a pass." He shrugged, showing her the pass attached to a blue lanyard on his neck, featuring a picture and his name. "I figured I'd visit you." He swung it around like a medal he had won for pleasing the gods.

"Well, thanks for the visit." Mariko sighed, planting herself face-down on the mattress.

"Homesick?" Near asked, tipping his head to the side.

"A little." Mariko sniffed, sitting up. "Is there any way for me to call Misa?"

Near shook his head sadly. "Sorry."

Mariko sighed. "Hey, Near."

Near was gazing at her with an odd gaze she hadn't seen in his eyes before. Was that… adoration? "Yes?"

Mariko paused slightly before deciding to go through with it. "I want to show you my Death Note."

She heard Ryuk chuckle slightly, but he paused, hesitated, then nodded.

Mariko slid to her knees and reached under the mattress, peeling the duct tape away from the Death Note out from under the sofa, and just about as she was going to hand it to him, she hesitated.

"You realize… when you touch this, you'll see Ryuk, right?" Near nodded softly, his eyes showed that he trusted her. It made Mariko… a little uncomfortable.

Then she placed the Death Note in his hand, and whispered in an even voice. "Now look up."

Near slowly looked up, and his eyes became huge, he staggered, although he was in a sitting position, staring at the Shinigami. "Shi… Shinigami."

"Eh, yeah." Ryuk shrugged and hovered down, Near's eyes progressively got larger as Ryuk neared. "Hey, Mariko. I got some work to do, I gotta check out this one guy in Japan, seems a little crazy, good potential. Straight A's, yappity yap. So, see ya. Oh, pick up some apples." He muttered before flying out a nearby window.

Mariko laughed quietly at Near's "WTH?" expression, smiling.

"He's a little crazy, but he's nice to have around some times, I guess."

So Near spent the rest of the day with Mariko, but this time, Near talked.

Near talked about Mello, about Matt, and about his mother.

The way Near had explained her had made her seem like a nice woman, but when he added the bitter detail that she had abandoned him because she simply didn't want him any more, turned the whole thing sour.

Often, like how a good time can simply be ruined by one small detail, or one person.

A certain person with red eyes, for instance.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Beyond had been watching.

But she didn't know. With the most amused of smiles. From a distance.

From near, or from far.

But Beyond had seen her.

And Beyond thought Mariko was even more beautiful than when she was ten.

Although… Her lifespan had gone down. He had frowned, annoyed. But after this next time, he'd find her again. Just for one last run.

One last time.

Before she died.

"Kyehehe…"

Oh, Beyond had been watching. She had seen her with the boy.

They loved each other. Whether they realized this yet, though, he couldn't be sure.

The boy's lifespan was much longer than hers, which he decided disproved any comments of Near committing suicide after she died.

Eh hem. Hinthint. Coughcough. Nudgenudge.

But overall, Beyond felt the need for another run. Another go.

But now was not the time.

He was watching her sleep.

The other girls didn't interest him at all. She had heard them before, seen them. Some of them were new, but they hadn't changed for the most part, they were still the snotty brats they had been years ago.

Beyond was determined to have Mariko die at his hand.

Mariko would die at Beyond's own hand.

He would slay her himself, perhaps in front of the boy, just as to hurt him as badly as he had been hurt.

Been hurt for being the Backup.

Beyond smiled and ran his tongue over his canines.

When the time was right, he would strike.

Just like a cobra.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Mariko's dreams that night were filled with bright red eyes chasing her down a cold road.

The sky was gray.

She kept running. Her lungs burned from the cold, tears frozen to her cheeks.

A king with dark raven hair and charcoal eyes stared at her with a gaze of anger and disapproval, but that just made her keep running, legs burning, hurting, feeling as though any moment she might fall over in tears, just to let the pain stop.

Just to escape the king.

But the worst part was when she fell over and found in her hands a knife, and on the cold pavement, there was a body.

Near, blood soaked through his white pajamas, and evidence of stabbing was evident in his mid-chest area.

Blood had pooled off of the sidewalk and into the road, where cars zoomed by, the raven king still staring her down.

What was worse, if she looked above his head, at his name and lifespan, it read:

Near River

52044802958

But he was dead.

And Mariko couldn't see life spans and full names.

Just initials.

But just as she realized this, the red eyes took over her, a blindfold over her head, and she heard Near's tear-choked voice murmuring, "I can't lose you. Stay with me. Please, please…"

And then Ryuk's face was staring at her, hissing, "Welcome to my world."

**YAY.**

**I got the new Three Days Grace album, Life Starts Now, on it's release day, September 22!**

**/Laughs maniacally while humming/ One of the songs, "Lost in You" is now on my own personal mL play list on my iPod, check it out. :3 But "Last to Know" and "Life Starts Now" are, too. Wow, they all start with L's. Coincidence, I THINK NOT.**

**I went out and sold my old PSP games from when we had a PSP, (It got stolen. D: ) and I got Fable: The Lost Chapters.**

**Funfunfun.**

**That's why it took me so long to update, I was playing that. Anyway, review pless! **

**--Rem**

**PS - I just know someone is going to say, "but Near and Ryuk met in da death note sereez, not b4!" Okay, think of it this way. In the series, he really wasn't freaked out to see how scary Ryuk looked. A normal human would go, "HOLY ****! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" even if they are Near, it's a human reaction. Even L freaked out. This was my explanation for that, "Oh, Hello Mr. Shinigami. ^.^" thing at the end of the series.**

**PSS - Yes, the dream was foreshadowing. Use it in your predictions if you like. But it was vague forshadowing.**


	20. Home

**The next days were miserable.**

**The girls didn't change their attitude. They spread rumors.**

**They teased her. They wouldn't leave her alone.**

**Worst of all, Mariko kept having the same recurring dream every single night. She had trained herself to not erupt into tears when she woke up, usually around 3:30 AM, for fear of waking the other girls.**

**After several weeks of this frustrating dilemma, going through boring classes, barely seeing Near, she finally came to a conclusion.**

**Mariko Beyond Lawliet would have to leave the Whammy House.**

**I am now going to stop typing, (theoretically, of course.) for just a moment.**

**If you will expect my story to be one of joy and happiness, with a happy ending…**

**Don't.**

**Stop reading, and pick up something lighter.**

**You know that series, "A Series of Unfortunate Events"? This is much darker, in case you haven't noticed. (Note: That series is what got me into reading, and eventually writing. So thank Lemony Snicket.)**

**Because this is where little Mariko's story takes a turn down an even darker path than you could have imagined. This is where it takes a turn for the worst. This…**

**This is where blood-red eyes will follow her every move, a shadow will be over her as she walks, and around the end, we will have two innocent surprise guests whose lives take a turn for the worst.**

**And here I will resume **_**Signed, mL: The Life and Tragedy of Mariko Beyond Lawliet; Part 2**_

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

She left in the dead of night, under the cover of the moonlight. She caught an early flight, had Misa steal a little money out of her parent's accounts, (They were super-rich anyway.) and pay for the ticket for her to come back out.

Mariko had come to the conclusion that it was possible to walk to the airport from the Whammy House.

It would be a long walk, so she would leave three hours before the flight left. An hour for the walk, two hours to get through security.

She packed the night before, everything was going to go perfectly. She had studied the alarm systems for weeks.

Near had given her his phone number.

Although he didn't know she was leaving.

She had confidence she could get past the alarms, the only thing keeping her chained there was Near, he was the only reason she had even been there in the first place.

Misa would call a taxicab and pick her up at the airport.

The whole escapade was thoroughly planned out and the decisions had been made carefully.

And so, that night, Mariko Lawliet left the Whammy House and went back to Los Angeles, the only home she knew.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Dark was the sky and bright was the sun, it seemed as Mariko returned to Los Angeles, the plane landing with a sharp _rrrrhhhhh,_

She stood up once everyone else was cleared off, and left the aircraft.

No strange dreams, nothing.

It had been amazing, she had slept for the majority of the flight. And no more of that terrifying recurring dream.

Mariko smiled softly as she saw Misa, nervously weaving about the people as she searched for Mariko.

Mariko chuckled and spread her arms, and Misa looked up to see her, squealed, and tackled Mariko.

Mariko let out a laugh .

They called a taxi and she went home.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Beyond grinned from the back of the plane, eyes glittering.

So she was back in LA.

He was disguised, of course. Dark sunglasses, baseball cap.

The fools at security hadn't even asked him to remove the hat or sunglasses.

Idiots.

They all thought he was dead. Every last one of them.

That wasn't true.

The stupid media had decided a good cover story would be to say he was dead.

The fools. He was still alive, oh, was he still alive.

And as he followed Mariko off the plane, he couldn't help but smile his devious smile.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"So, not a whole lot has changed." Misa jabbered on. "We haven't done any performances or anything, so you don't have to worry about that, but Coach Gill really wants you back!"

Coach gill was a young woman who took control of the dance company, and this news didn't surprise Mariko at all.

Coach Gill seemed to obsess over her. She liked it, although it got annoying some times.

"Oh, but we do have an upcoming trip." Misa chirped.

"Oh? Where are we going?" Mariko tipped her head toe the side and smiled.

"Ummm… I think she said… Portland, Maine!"

Mariko froze in the doorway of her apartment, face paled, eyes large, and the hair on the back of her neck stood up.

"P… Portland?" She choked out.

Misa nodded, smiling the way she always smiled.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Ryuk grinned, the way he always grinned, eyes sharp and bright.

Everything was set up with the Shinigami king, he would just have to wait and watch now, let everything take it's course. From the roof of the apartment, he spread his wings and jumped off, flapping them several times to watch Beyond creep along the road, following Misa and Mariko back to the apartment, an evil grin plastered onto his face.

**Not a whole lot to say. Uhhh.**

**Hrm. And I'm usually a chatterbox.**

**Sorry about the long wait, please review! I only got three reviews for the last chapter!**

**O:**

**--Rem**

**PS - Ohmigod, I found the perfect song. "Letters from the Sky" by Civil Twilight. It's amazingly perfect.**

**PSS - Thomas Miletich, if you're reading this, you get a cookie. /Hands cookie/**

**PSSS - I'm sorry for the short chapter. DX**


	21. Scarred

"MariMari, I'm going to pick up some groceries, I haven't been buying enough for two people. I'll be back soon~!" Misa twirled out of the room, eyes alight.

Mariko sighed and relaxed in the chair, dozing off for several minutes.

Misa never really locked the door, because there was a doorman downstairs, despite Mariko's coaxing. Mariko had eventually given up.

"Peeek a boooo~!" Ryuk chuckled, and before Mariko could ask what the hell was going on, the door slowly creaked open.

Mariko felt every muscle tighten, her eyes widen, and every instinct in her body tell her to scream and run away.

Because standing there, in the middle of the room, locking the door, and with an evil grin plastered onto his face, stood Beyond Birthday.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

The house was absolute chaos back in London, with the other girls displaying such brummagem worry that it was sickening.

Near was genuinely worried.

She hadn't even called or anything.

This was all his fault. If he had just told her that she couldn't stay, instead of wanting her there for his own stupid, selfish reasons…

He was sitting in the middle of class, rumors exploding around him.

"I hear she had a secret boyfriend."

"I hear that she worked for an evil organization."

"I hear her father was L."

The whole room went silent and everyone turned around to stare at the one who had said that, even Near.

It was Mello, glaring around the room irritably. "You guys have to be kidding me, no one else suspected Milia was related to L somehow?"

Near felt his entire body stiffen. How did he know?

"Er… Yeah… I guess." Matt muttered, shaking his head of auburn hair as he adjusted his goggles. "I mean, she looked a lot like the guy. Raven hair. Always looked tired. Her bangs were kinda messy."

Murmurs of agreement began to slowly erupt within the group.

"Should we confront L?"

"No, you idiot! He's L!"

"Maybe that's how she got in here… The apple doesn't fall far from the tree!"

"That means she cheated!"

"Yeah! The rest of us had to work hard!"

Chaos soon resumed, and Near slumped down in his chair.

"Well, why don't we ask Near? He knew Milia better than anyone."

Near looked up and just stared at Mello.

"Yeah, Near! Was she related to L or not?"

"Er…" Near shifted, feeling crowded in. Then he muttered without even a thought. "Y… Yes…"

And the whole room went crazy.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Why are you here?" Mariko whispered, eyes darkened in fear as she tacos sat frozen in place.

"I've been watching you." Beyond chuckled, eyes alight. "And it's been a while."

Mariko could only shake furiously. "Get out."

Beyond smirked. "Oh, but why? When you're stupid little friend is out, I can see if you still have the scar." He smiled maniacally, and Mariko's eyes widened when she realized what he was talking about. The B scar on her shoulder. He took a step forward, and she was cornered.

Beyond continued with his evil smile and a dark shadow seemed to come over Mariko.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

He left with only the merest of smirks, and a quick mutter of, "Remember. Our secret." Before smiling and leaving, eyes alight.

Mariko just sat there for a moment, still shaking, and Misa still gone, before slowly picking up her cell phone and dialing the only number she knew she could, and when it was picked up, she murmured, "Near? I'm sorry I left. I… Can I come back?"

And this was the way life resumed.

She left again, and Near was the only one to pick her up at the airport.

She cried softly on his shoulder the short way back, and over a course of time, they decided to try a romance out.

_And so ends Part Two of Signed mL: A Thoroughbred Whammy Kid_

_"We live happily ever trapped_

If you just saved my life

_Run and tell the angels_

_That everything is all right_

_Fly along with me_

_I cant quite make it alone_

_Try to make this life my own" -- "Learn to Fly" by The Foo Fighters_

**Part two is going to draw to a close. D: I know, I know… Sad.**

**Next time we see MariMari… It'll be 2009 and she'll be sixteen!**

**Wow. Remember when it was 2003 and she was ten?**

**Those days seem long gone. That was seven months ago. /Blinkblink/**

**But either way, the story shall resume.**

**PREDICTIONS, PEOPLE. I WANT PREDICTIONS.**

**Oh, and the scene with Mariko and Beyond was what we did a parody of. It was pretty funny.**

"**Why are you here?"**

"**Because the author has a serious misery fetish."**

"**Oh really now?"**

**The funny part of it was I was playing Mariko. Haha… xD Anyway, I'll see you guys next chapter! In two years! Nah, only in story time!**

**-- Rem**

**PS - I only got one review for the last chapter… PREDICTIONS, REVIEW. PREDICTIONS, REVIEW. CLICK BUTTON. And guys, don't rely on other people to do it!**

**PSS - This chapter was /extremely/ short because I couldn't smash a whole lot in there, sorry!**

**PSS - Be sure to check my profile regularly! I put what my current projects are, my upcoming projects, why I may not be writing some stories, etc. So be sure to check it regularly!**


	22. Persuasion

_Part Three: Finish the analogy; Light : Dark :: Life : _______

"_My insides all turned to ash_

_So slow._

_And blew away as I collapsed_

_So cold._

_A black wind took them away_

_From sight._

_And now a darkness over day_

_That night._

_And the clouds above move closer_

_Looking so dissatisfied_

_But the heartless wind kept blowing, blowing_

_So now you're gone_

_And I was wrong._

_I never knew what it was like_

_To be alone_

_On a Valentine's Day_

_On a Valentine's Day_

_On a Valentine's Day_

_On a Valentine's Day_

_On a Valentine's Day_

_I used to be my own protection_

_But not now._

'_Cause my path has lost direction_

_Some how. _

_I used to be my own protection_

_But not now._

'_Cause my mind has lost direction_

_Some how." -- Linkin Park, "Valentine's Day"_

_(Sorry for the uber long quote, it's the last part!)_

"Milia, there's someone here to see you."

Mariko jumped to her feet, wearing not much more than an old pair of ripped jeans and Panic! At the Disco T-shirt hand-me-down. "Eh?"

It was Kima, her hair down and loose around her shoulders. "I dunno. He knew the entry code, so I guess he was important." Kima shrugged vaguely and Mariko nodded. "Er. Alright."

"Left wing." Kima waved her hand vaguely and Mariko nodded, gently blowing on the nails of her right hand in an attempt to dry the navy nail polish quicker.

Mariko began to walk at a rather relaxed pace toward the left wing of the building, for some reason rather subdued, the whole thing seemed as though it may happen every day. Although it really didn't. She kept her eyes straight forward, and entered one of the few rooms in the left wing of the Whammy House. It was a conference room, with a small table for a small amount of people.

It was not the room that interested her.

It was what was on the table. A laptop was sitting there, with the clear image of a white background, and an all-too-familiar large black L sitting right in the middle of it.

"Milia?" The synthetic voice sounded from the laptop, and Mariko nodded softly. "Er... Yes."

"Please close the door, this room is soundproof."

Mariko nodded softly and slid the door shut behind her.

"I remember you approaching me six years ago. And I have been closely studying your progress since you have entered the House. I am also aware of a rumor that has been spreading."

Mariko blinked and shook her head slightly, confused. "But... Er... Why are you approaching me now? You completely dismissed me a few years back."

"I am aware of this." L said simply, and Mariko envisioned him shrugging behind the laptop. "What interests me is the fact that you have progressed far beyond any of our other children there. Are you aware that you are number one?"

Mariko stared, even though she knew L couldn't see her. "You're kidding." She had known that she was higher up than a lot of the other kids, but not that she was number one... Even in front of Near...

"I am not. I am not one to 'kid', as you stated, Mariko." Mariko blinked at the mention of her real name, having been unacustomed to it.

"Er. Yeah." Mariko could only mutter, eyes trailing away for a moment.

"I have heard there are... mutterings of a romance between you and Near."

Mariko froze, blood turning to ice. Near and her had decided that 'couple' was too childish, and 'lovers' was too serious for thier tastes, so they really didn't know what they should be called. "... And?" Mariko asked fearfully.

"I would like to give you nothing more than my personal opinion regarding this: discontinue immediately. If you care about your future, I ask you to stop. This will only end in misery for both of you."

"Why does my love life concern you?" Mariko muttered, clearly very annoyed now.

Mariko heard an overly-synthesized sigh from the laptop. "Any day now, I will be called to work on the Kira case, and I may die any day. I need someone to take my place, and if everyone is too emotionally pressured in order to do this, the world will be in peril."

Mariko gritted her teeth furiously. "You have no right to tell me what to do!"

"I am merely giving my advice. I am not ordering you."

Mariko slowly relaxed as she realized what L had just said. "... Alright. What else?"

"There is a rumor that we are related. I have tried to disprove it. If you hear any mutterings of it, please correct them."

Mariko's jaw locked angrily. She had almost given up on the idea of L being her father, but this was a little too much. "And what if they're true!? You never really been the most openminded person I've ever met!" She exclaimed angrily.

"I understand this, but I do not have children. Consider this: Can your picture me having children with a wife?"

Mariko gritted her teeth and sighed. L was right. There was absolutely no way she could argue with that.

"That's what I thought." L muttered. "But I have most certainly been watching you. You are... interesting. You're identity, however... that is a mystery. I have attempted to trace you down, and yet, in the file, you are logged as not much more than a picture. We usually have over five pages of basic data per child.

"So what are you getting on to?" Mariko asked bleakly. "You don't know who I am?"

"As a matter of fact, I don't know who you are. And it surprises me. I would like to know, but I can't seem to track down anything."

"So what was the point of this?"

"This was mainly about the rumors and Near."

Mariko nodded briefly, scratching her nose, before suddenly muttering, "I was actually thinking about something."

"And what was that?"

"Living in this house can be very stressful, what, with everyone constantly competing."

"Yes...?"

"So what would you say to... perhaps, taking a small chunk of funding and maybe paying for all the older kids to go to Malibu for a few days?"

L was silent for a long while after that.

"But I could settle for somewhere else. Hawaii or Miami or something." Mariko quickly added.

"I believe that may be an idea I will consider. Thank you for suggesting that."

"You're welcome." Mariko shrugged slightly and stood up.

"Oh, and Milia," L began. "Please don't mention this to anyone. Especially Near."

Mariko nodded. "Gotcha." And walked out of the room, back to the girl's dorm, to finish her nails.

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

That night, Mariko had more strange dreams.

Running along a beach, with the moon set high, and the stars glittering brightly like shards of ice against black velvet.

Two dim figures were visible in the distance, and just before she could see who they were, she tripped, and Beyond and Ryuk's evil grins stared her down.

Then she heard L's synthetic voice, laughing, "I told you so, I told you sooooo~!"

**Wooooow~! We're getting so close! The tension is killing me! I need predictions, especially as we get closer to the end!**

**This is so amazing that no one has really figured this out yet! I hope someone does, soon! If anyone manages to get this, I swear, I will love you forever and ever, though it's a bit difficult. (To get it, I mean. XD)**

**I tried to make this chapter a little longer! I hope you enjoyed it!**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW**

**-- Rem**

**PS - **

**Two mysterious guests that appear at the end: D: We feel like fifth wheels.**


	23. Parting

Mariko awoke very early that morning. She glanced over at the illuminated clock on the other side of the room. 2:47.

As she struggled to get back to sleep, her thoughts wandered. Why had L suddenly wanted to talk to her after six years? Six years…

And he hadn't exactly been the nicest six years ago.

But it seemed as though it had been longer than six years. Decades, it seemed.

She thought she might tell Near in the morning, before she quickly remembered that he wasn't allowed to know.

Infuriated, Mariko fell back into a restless sleep.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Good morning, Near." Mariko yawned to the albino, sitting next to him in the outside section of the cafeteria. "Weekends are borrrinnnggg." She complained leisurely, and Near chuckled.

"Bad night last night?" He asked, eyes sparkling with amusement.

Near really hadn't changed too much throughout the year. He had probably grown a couple inches, but, aside from that, he really wasn't too different. He still had a childish glow about him.

"As a matter of fact, yes. Weird dream."

"Same one?"

"Nah, this one was different."

"Oh, really?" Near asked, making an 'Orlly?' face.

"Yeah." Mariko shrugged it off slightly, trying to avoid bringing up her talk with L.

"You don't seem talkative. It bothering you?"

"Nah, just didn't get a whole lotta sleep last night."

"Ahhhh. Wanna tell me about the dream?"

"So-so. I'm not sure if it's anything important. Nothing about you. Just L and…Ryuk… and… you know who."

Near frowned and sighed slightly, giving her a gentle, encouraging, hug. "I'm worried about you. You've been having all these crazy dreams lately. I don't think it's healthy." He muttered, gently putting his arms around her.

"Me neither." Mariko shrugged. "But I can't really do much about it."

"True. Have you considered sleeping medication? Valerian is herbal and non-addictive. You could take that." He murmured, obviously trying to be helpful.

"Nahhh." Mariko waved it off blankly. "I'm alright. Nothing can stop dreaming."

"I suppose. But I still worry about you." Near muttered with a sigh.

"Yeah, I know." Mariko shrugged it off.

"Oye, what's going on around here?" At the sound of the voice, the couple immediately straightened up at the sound of his voice.

"Hi, Mello…" They both half-groaned in greeting. Mello grinned obnoxiously and sat on the other side of the table.

"What's going on? Oh, Matt's coming too, by the way." Mello grinned obnoxiously, and began to chomp on, surprise, surprise, a chocolate bar.

"Great." Near muttered unenthusiastically.

"Greaaaaat." Mariko groaned in annoyance as Matt sat down next to Mello to join them.

Mariko, trying to be discreet, slid the apple off her plate and passed it under the table to Ryuk, and Near shot her a grin, though hid it from Matt and Mello.

"So, there are these rumors we're going on a vacation." Mello said in a nonchalant manner, with a shrug.

If Mariko had been a cat, her ears would have perked up. "Ehhh?"

"Yeah. Malibu or something. I don't know, it's just a rumor. But they said something about Zuma beach." Mello grinned deviously. "It'd be great, I haven't had a vacation in years."

Mariko smirked. "I agree. Zuma Beach sounds fun."

"Totally!" Matt chimed in.

"What about you, Twinkle Toes? You've been awfully quiet." Mello made a face at Near, and Near sighed, clearly annoyed at still being called a childhood name. "It sounds fun." Near smiled quietly. "It sounds like a good idea, whoever thought it up."

He threw Mariko a knowing look, and she felt her cheeks turn hot. He knew that she had come up with it.

She was the worst actor, and he was really the only one that knew that. She was a terrible liar, and Mariko just shot him a short smile of agreement and a barely noticeable nod.

Suddenly, for some reason, her stomach flopped, and she remembered L's recommendation that they stop being so romantically involved, and did a mental shrug.

Who cared? Mello or Matt could take over.

"So, what else is new, guys?" Near muttered awkwardly.

"Not a whole lot, I mean, this is the Whammy House." Matt made a face, and Mariko chuckled.

"True that."

"Anyway, I hope that rumor's true. I'd love to catch some babes." Mello muttered.

"Oh, please. You can't even catch Jemma." Matt snickered.

"Shut up." Mello rolled his eyes.

"Alright, well…" Mariko was, unfortunately, rather quickly becoming bored with the situation. "I think we're going to leave."

"Yeah." Near nodded softly and Mariko threw away her water bottle, really the only thing she had come to the cafeteria for, and stepped out into the sunlight for a brief moment, before stepping back under the awning and sighing quietly, and, with Near by her side, slowly walking back to the dorm rooms, and parting at the fork in the hallway that separated them.

He smiled, she smiled.

The classic parting of lovers.

**I had a very interesting prediction, possibly one of the most detailed, from an anonymous reviewer. No idea who it is. X_x**

**Though they knew my name. I have no idea who you are. I think I know who it is, but I'm not sure.**

**Anyway, I just had to share it with you guys.**

"**Alright, Vonnie. Here we are, coming to the end...**

**Nice Tragedy story. Cuts to the core. Now, I have a prediction. Near and**

**Mariko are going to get more romantically involved, despite L's urgings. Ryuuk**

**and Beyond Birthday will soon get involved, killing Near. L will soon die, and**

**the place will become vacant. As the most talanted person in the house, Mariko**

**soon becomes M, (or some other title), and takes over, despite not wanting to.**

**Also, most of this will occur in L.A., Miami, Hawaii, or wherever they go on**

**the trip.**

**Sincerely,**

**Blazerider"**

**VERY good prediction, one of the best yet. And actually, one of the more somewhat accurate ones.**

**About… Ehhh… 32% accurate. My friend Savannah made one that was about 14% correct, so that's really great!**

**One of the things about this was absolutely accurate, but it was backwards. X_x It happened to Near, not Mariko. **

**Anyway, I hope you all are liking this so far, it's about to get a whole lot better!**

**(:**

**--Rem**

**PS - REVIEWREVIEWREVIEWPREDICTREVIEW!**

**PSS - Oh my God! 23! The unlucky number! We're all gonna dieeeee~!**


	24. Malibu

"Guess what?" Jemma sang, twirling into the room with such great poise and posture that Mariko would have proclaimed herself jealous if she hadn't been so curious.

"We're going to Malibu!"

Everyone in the girl's dorm, that would be, all the girls, gasped in unison, and soon flurries of…

"Really?"

"You're kidding!"

"That's insane!"

"We've never been on vacation!" filled the room, and Mariko chuckled inwardly as she blew on her toenails to quickly dry the navy nail polish. "Hey, Milia!"

Mariko looked up at the sound of Ami's call.

Azaela had left the house recently, and Ami had swiftly taken her place. With Azaela gone, all the girls had seemed to break down their emotional barriers, and everyone really seemed to get along quite well.

Ami was from Tokyo, she was energetic, crazy, and totally reminded Mariko of MisaMisa. Oftentimes, it gave her a sense of melancholy and nostalgia to see Ami.

"Yeah?"

"You don't seem all that excited."

"Oh, well. I gr-"

"She grew up in LA!" Keila shouted happily. "My God! This means tan! I'm going to be tan!" The small girl cried out happily, and Mariko chuckled.

"So are we." Jemma made a face and grinned at the youngest girl. "You're silly."

"Hey, JemJem!"

"Eh?" Jemma looked over at Emmie. "What?"

"You said we'd be gone for a week, from August 14-21st, right?"

Kima shot Emmie a knowing look and grinned slightly, Keila gasping.

"Yeah?"

"Isn't your eighteenth birthday on the seventeenth?"

Jemma's jaw dropped. "You're right."

"Happy birthday to you!" Everyone, including Mariko, cried out in surprise and happiness for Jemma.

"I'm gonna make a cake!" Keila, now thirteen, squealed.

"Milia, wanna get her something?" Ami asked, grinning toward Mariko. "Totally!" Mariko gasped and grinned.

And as they got ready, packing for the trip in three days, getting ready, planning schedules, all Mariko really thought about was her time with Near.

The last time they had truly been alone had been two years ago when Mariko had first admitted most of her problems to Near.

Most.

Everything seemed to continue as normal, but slower. And… more anxious.

Until finally, the one early morning when they left for the trip, the whole house seemed to sigh after holding it's breath.

Several thoughts were going through Mariko's head as she settled down in her seat beside Near.

What they would be doing, how long they would be there.

But, right before her mind wandered, her eyes closed, and her breathing steadied… One thought, or a memory, rather, crept into her head.

L's synthetic, oddball voice, sighing. "_Any day now, I will be called to work non the Kira case, and I may die any day. I need someone to take my place, and if everyone is too emotionally pressured in order to do this, the world will be in peril."_

Mariko was too tired to shudder, or sneer, or gasp at the notion, but almost immediately after, fell asleep with her head on Near's shoulder.

There were more strange dreams.

Swirling, endlessly, in a puddle of darkness, no sound. Not even her own heartbeat, nor the blood rushing through her veins.

Simply darkness. Endless. A though drifted through her mind for a moment, but it left so quickly that she had no time to remember it.

That was when a wasteland opened up in front of her, extending endlessly. The sound of wind.

There was still no heartbeat, no rushing of blood, not even in the near silence.

This placed _stank,_ too. Mariko grimaced briefly and the sound of wings opening up behind her made her startled, seeing a flash of black and red, then the glint of metal.

A deep rumbling sound started, and Near was suddenly sitting in front of her, smiling quietly.

Mariko blinked, dazed.

"You slept for a while." He muttered. "Like a rock. Nice to watch. You looked… At peace." He shrugged and stood up, stretching his arms.

Mariko blinked, smirking slightly, before standing up. "Great. I had a bit of a weird dream."

Near frowned. "Again?

Mariko nodded briefly. "Not as bad as the others. He wasn't in them." They grimaced solemnly at each other. They both knew who _he_ was. "It was actually just… plain… weird. I was alone, and it was dark, then I was in this wasteland…"

She left out the part about the silence, deciding not to stress him out. Or the wings. Or the metallic sheen, which, all of them, could have easily simply been her mind messing with her.

There were flutters of initials above people's heads as everyone in the plane stood up. JS, MK, MJ, and… Most notably, NR.

Mariko smiled softly at him. She had grown so used to her Shinigami eyes that she had simply… Forgotten about them, almost.

Almost.

Giddy, Mariko smirked and they shot out of the airplane. Mariko drank in the California air she hadn't tasted in years.

Then it hit her.

Malibu was irrevocably close to LA.

She almost crumpled to the floor at the thought, right at the floor of the gate. LA meant Misa. Misa… She spun around to stare at Near. "We _have _to go up to LA while we're here."

"I'm quite sure something can be arranged." Near smiled softly at her eagerness, as though she was a child in a candy store, chuckling. "I'm positively sure something can be arranged."

Mariko grinned at him, sucking in any memories that she may have of California. The way people talked, the laid-back atmosphere.

One of the first things she realized, with quite a jolt, was that she had a very, very slight English accent.

She nearly fell over laughing again, almost toppling Near over.

"What is it this time?"

"I have an English accent!" Mariko gasped out, laughing wildly as people stared.

Near shot her a strange look before chuckling. "C'mon, we better stay with the group to the hotel. The bus won't wait for us."

Mariko, still giggling madly, and being dragged along by Near, stumbling after him like a drunkard, moved with Near to the outside of the airport to be picked up, late at night.

Surprisingly, Mariko found, L had gone all-out to get them all first-class on the flight, get them in a five-star hotel, and all of them to have individual rooms. Perhaps he was on the kinder side.

Either way, the girls had one side of the hallway, the boys had the other, and Near, whether on purpose, or coincidence, was right across from her.

It made her smile softly, they could see each other when they liked.

Then the briefest image ran through her mind.

Near. Mariko. In a hotel room. Alone. Together.

Surprisingly enough, the image wasn't… disgusting to her.

The only thing that made her shudder was the remembrance of Beyond.

The way his eyes gleamed, the way he completely paralyzed her.

But Near… Near… He was… Well, he was different. He wasn't like that. Near would never hurt her on purpose, she knew that enough.

Six years, and all he had ever done was leave, and not know that it would hurt her.

Mariko had subconsciously loved Near for a long time. A very long time. For six years.

But it had been subconscious. She hadn't been trying to love him. He had just started off as someone who looked lost out on the streets, and… Part of it was the fact that she could sympathize with him. She had woken up one morning, not having any memory of who or where she was.

That thought seemed to strike an arrow in her mind. Portland.

Maine.

Hotels.

Working.

Mr. Walker.

The poor man.

He must have been worried to death at the time. That's all he was, one to worry. The thought made her feel bad. Maybe later she'd visit him. Some time.

Finally, she got up and took a shower, relaxing with that cheesy stuff they give you in hotels, though it worked fine, laid down, and before she realized it, Mariko was asleep again.

**I'm getting this really strange urge to start writing this in first-person. X_x /Dies/**

**I regret not doing it. I could have added a lot better tone. Maybe I'll re-write it sometime, like that. Anyway, we're getting really close! Here's a hint, you guys. At the end of this, Mariko is 17. Near is about to turn 18. I hope you can all come up with predictions! ;D**

**Sorry it took me a while to update, this was on my dad's desktop!**

**--Rem**

**PS - Have a Happy Halloween full of Tim Burton and horror movies! I know mine will be! Everyone who reviews gets brownie points and hugs!**


	25. Close

"Hey! Lazybones! Get up! We're hitting Zuma beach!"

When Mariko got up to answer the door, seeing Near shirtless, her jaw dropped, before everything flooded back. Malibu, California… Everything. And that was why Near was wearing board shorts.

"Knock, knock." Near rolled his eyes and gently knocked on her forehead, and only then did she realize that she was staring at the board shorts, wide-eyed. She had never seen him wear nothing but shorts before.

Was this…?

Was he trying to…?

"Hello? Did you hear me? We're going to the beach!"

Near stared back at her briefly, as if suspicious, then Mariko nodded, sighing with relief. "Okay, I'll get my swimsuit." Before slamming the door in his face, breathing heavily.

A total misconception, right? Yeah. A total misconception. It had just been her stupid mind playing tricks on her. Her stupid, stupid mind. Playing stupid, stupid tricks. Making her think stupid, stupid, stupid assumptions.

She had to learn to control herself. No stupid ideas to mess with her head, nothing. She had to stop assuming things. She had to stop think he was… That was just her own little fantasy world. That wasn't… her world.

Not the real world.

The thought probably hadn't even entered Near's mind.

_Sooo. Dirty thoughts, eh? _Ryuk chuckled mentally, probably on the roof of the hotel.

_Nu-uh!_

_Yuh-huh. _Ryuk mentally nodded.

_Okay, so what if I am? No law says I can't be a little lustrous._

_Considering you're a minor, yeah, there is._

_There are twelve year olds in rural countries that have sex, Ryuk!_

It hit her in the face. That was the first time she had so bluntly called it sex.

Sex.

She blinked at the thought, even the mention.

Sex.

She tilted her head to the side, as if not able to wrap her mind around it. Sex? Near?

Mariko's mouth contorted curiously for a moment, considering the thought. Sex and Near just didn't seem to belong together. They didn't make sense. They didn't seem to work together, they were like some sort of… Oxymoron.

Her and Near having sex.

The image of that question being on a test flashed through her mind, and next to it, someone had written 'False.'

And yet… It was so perfectly imagined. As if nothing was wrong with it. The image seemed… perfect. As if untouched by sin, by demons, by the devil.

Almost like it was… Holy.

She smiled and grabbed her navy and white polka-dotted swimsuit from her bag, a dazed grin on her face.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Ryuk smiled.

He was leading her down just the right path. He almost felt like cheering her on, hearing every thought in her head. It was almost like egging the girl down a road.

He paused a moment, contemplating something, before shrugging and deciding to go back to the Shinigami world for a bit, simply… Catch up.

Ryuk teleported quickly.

The entrance to the Shinigami world was almost like a dark, black, endless, spiraling portal. Ryuk traveled swiftly and silently through, however.

Not that anyone could even hear him, other than Mariko and Near, of course.

The first thing he heard was a bored-sounding yawn. "Hey, Ryuk."

Ryuk turned to find his eyes met with a bored-looking Shinigami Rem.

"Hello, Rem."

"You look tired." Ryuk stated bluntly. "What happened?"

"Human girl again."

"Ahh. So you dropped your Death Note?"

"Yeah. Even I get bored, Ryuk."

"What's this one's name?"

"Misa."

Ryuk grinned, then chuckled. "Oh, the irony."

The Shinigami made of bones ignored him. "Anyway, I think I found another human you might like."

"Oh?"

"Mmmhmm. Yagami. Light Yagami. Sounds a little crazy." Rem made a swirling motion near the side of her head. "Kanto region, Tokyo. Japan. Take a look. Looks about your tastes."

"I'll be sure to do that." Ryuk nodded abruptly to her, yawning. "So, other than the human girl, how have you been?"

"Fine, fine. And you."

"The same here, the human world has precisely the best apples I've ever tasted, no doubt about it."

"I've heard that. Oh, haven't you had the same human girl six years now? Doesn't the possession bond only last seven?"

"That's true, I'm killing her soon."

"Thought ahead, didja?"

"Yeah, wrote her name down two years ago." Ryuk muttered, staring out at the wasteland that was the Shinigami world before him, the seemingly endless stretch of land.

"Yup." Ryuk answered blankly, plucking an apple off the withering tree beside him.

There was a moment of silence. Awkward silence.

"Hey, Ryuk?"

"Yup?"

Ryuk turned to Rem, who now seemed to have a slightly more… was that a serious gleam in her eye?

"I was just wondering. If we're gods, then why do we die? Why aren't we called beings… Or some other strange name like that?"

Ryuk found himself at a loss for words, though only for a brief moment. "Rem, is something wrong?"

Rem shook her head. "Nah."

Ryuk threw her an accusing glance, but shrugged it off, not really caring any longer. "Well, really, you're over thinking it." He allowed himself a lazy yawn.

"I figured as much." Rem muttered. There was another odd moment of silence before she sighed and shrugged. "I better check up on Misa, she was contemplating the eyes deal. I hope you enjoy watching your human, Ryuk."

Ryuk nodded in parting, Rem doing the same.

And she left.

Ryuk shrugged, deciding to go back to the human world.

Not more to do here, anyway.

The Shinigami Realm was so boring.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It wasn't until they pulled up to the beach in their caravan of cars that Mariko realized how early they were going.

"The sun's rising." She gaped blatantly.

"Of course it is! That's why Jemma and the other girls woke us all up!" Ami shouted with brummagem joy and happiness. For some odd reason, the thought, 'Sunshine and lollipops!' popped into her mind.

"Sorry, guys." Jemma muttered from the front seat, twisting her torso around to face them. "We only have a week, I wanted to make the most of it." She winked and smiled, before hopping out of the car on the side opposite of Mariko.

Mariko was staring at the beach, just… blinking. It was beautiful. The white sand, the sea was a beautiful emerald color, and the sky was a perfect purple red, and orange…

Like a picture in a romance movie.

The thought had nearly brought her back to Near before he gently elbowed her. "Er. Love, you need to get out before I can. I'm in the middle, remember?"

"Oh." Mariko chuckled slightly and slid out of the car. Jemma had driven, Ami had sat in the passenger seat, Keila had sat in the back with Mariko and Near, though Near and been smashed in the middle, much to his detest.

Near smiled and slid out gracefully, with Mariko holding the door for him. He smiled and kissed her gently. "Love you." He smirked and began to help the rest of them to get everything out of the trunk.

Mariko, stunned, just nodded softly, face pale.

They set up camp, all ten of them. Mariko blinked. An entire strip of beach had been reserved?

On top of that, beach can be reserved?

She grinned, made a face at Near, and the day was spent well.

Mello, of course, had brought chocolate, which had melted almost immediately, much to his dismay.

It seemed like a normal day. Up until Near and Mariko were sitting underneath an umbrella, Mariko having her knees drawn up to her chest, hair loose, waving in the wind, staring out at the waves and the shore, with Near sitting beside her.

Everything had seemed normal until he said something that disturbed her.

It disturbed her immensely.

"Is sex a big deal to you?"

Mariko turned and just stared at him incredulously. "What?" She squeaked out.

"Sex. Y'know, we're getting… Older. I'm just wondering what it means to you. Is it a big deal, does it not matter?"

"I… I… I don't know!"

"Milia," Near stared at her seriously, leaning inward. "I've seen the way you look at me."

"What way?"

"You have this… lustful look in your eyes when you look at me. I just want to know if I'm assuming correctly."

He was almost whispering, and that shot Mariko into a sense of awe. He cared so much… She was lucky. Really, truly, lucky.

"Look! That's what I'm talking about!" Near hissed quietly, snapping Mariko to her senses. "You get this glazed look in your eyes."

"Oh…" Mariko blinked slightly. "Well, um…"

"I really want to know, Mar… Milia."

Mariko paused for a moment, nervously looking downward. "Well… Maybe… A little. But just a little! I mean, not a whole lot!" She grinned sheepishly, cheeks almost immediately becoming a shade of scarlet.

Near sighed. "Let me restate the question. Are those looks you're giving me lust, or adoration?"

Mariko, stunned, meekly muttered, "Lust."

Near suddenly seemed far-away, his gaze drifting out to the shore where two of the girls were splashing wildly at each other.

Mariko hadn't noticed it, but the sun was beginning to go down, and they were beginning to pack up.

Even Near was standing up to close the umbrella.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Later that night, Mariko got out of her shower and changed quickly, hopping onto her bed without thinking anything of it.

She was just about to drift to sleep when there was an odd rattling sound, then creaking.

Then footsteps.

Her blood turned to ice.

Mariko gingerly opened one eye to find…

It was Near. Standing there, gently shutting the door behind him.

"I want to talk." He mouthed.

He moved forward with surprising grace and sat down beside her as she sat up. "Hm?"

"I was thinking about what you said.""And…?"

"And… I'm okay with sex. As long as you're okay. Because I know you want to have sex with me."

Mariko just about passed out right then and there? This? Hers?

She stared at him for a moment, eyes pressing, then, nodded abruptly.

Without warning, Near lunged forward swiftly and beautifully, dragging her up into a kiss. The move completely caught her by surprise. If she hadn't been sitting, she would have stumbled backward. They took slow, gradual steps.

Her arms wrapped around his neck.

They seemed to fall backward onto the bed.

They moved a little closer.

They stopped muttering to themselves and just lived in the moment.

And his hand very, very slowly, began to reach for the back of her shirt.

The rest of the night, however, was their own.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Beyond grinned maliciously. He grinned darkly.

His face lit up.

Perfect.

Absolutely, utterly, perfect.

**DUNADUNA! Okay, here we go!**

**So close now. (:**

**I'll talk to you all later, I tried to make this chapter longer.**

**Byyyee~!**

**--Rem**


	26. Kidnapping

**YEAH MAN!**

**This fan fiction has the highest review count of all of mine so far, 111! (As I write this, it may or may not have gone up by the time this chapter gets out.) On top of that, I've gone over the 30,000 word mark!**

**I've had some good predictions and ideas, man.**

**Very good, we're getting close!**

**And, here we go.**

**For those of you who like kidnap-and-hit-and-abuse types of stuff, you'll eat this chapter up.**

**And maybe the next one.**

**Rem's cooking tip: Pour yourself from Fresca, and put pomegranate arils in it, fill it with ice, and viola! A nice, tasty, refreshing drink! A healthy one, at that!**

**That's what I drank as I wrote part of this. :3**

**--Rem**

Mariko groaned.

Stupid light, filtering in through her closed lids.

She needed more sleep.

Mariko threw her arm over her eyes.

"Heh. Someone's tired."

Mariko sat up at the sound of a familiar voice. "Ugghh…"

She opened her eyes, finding Near sitting down in the miniscule area of a kitchen, featuring a microwave, a stove, and a fridge, flipping through a newspaper. His eyes were casually turned upward, his shirt neatly buttoned.

"What're you…" Mariko was interrupted by a yawn. "Doin' here?"

"Waiting for you to get up. It's eleven AM."

Mariko stared at him blankly, then yawned. "Eleven? Seriously?"

"Mmm hmm. You slept well, I trust?"

"Er, yeah. But why are you in my hotel room?" Mariko stared at him dumbly, blinking the sleep and blurriness from her eyes.

Near stared at her, bemused. One eyebrow cocked, looking as though he was trying not to smile.

Then Mariko's jaw dropped. "You mean… You mean we…?"

"Mmhm."

Mariko stared, coal eyes searching. Then it hit her.

He was right.

They had…

"Homigod…" Mariko choked out a half gasp, half laugh.

Near grinned softly. "Now everyone else is getting ready to go to the beach, I advise you get ready as well." He stood up in a way that seemed rigid, but was really just fluid and smooth.

Mariko nodded briefly.

The rest of the day didn't seem different at all.

For the most part.

There was one moment, Mariko was sitting there, just humming along softly and reading in the bright sunlight, when she froze, the hair on the back of her neck stood up.

Her blood turned to ice, and a sudden terror washed over her. Someone was watching her. She craned her neck around, and saw…

Nothing. Just a stretch of white sand.

She blinked and shook her head.

One of the kids has brought a boom box, a sandproofed one designed for the beach, too.

Mariko shrugged, as they began to play a song.

She wasn't interested in them until the third one.

It made Near and her exchange glances, mouths gaping, eyes huge.

"No way."

"There is seriously no way." Mariko muttered, staring.

But… Well, it was true.

"_Where it began, _

_I can't begin to knowing._

_But then I know that it's growing strong._

_Was in the spring_

_And spring became the summer._

_Who'd believe you'd come along._

_Hands, touching hands, reaching out,_

_Touching you._

_Sweet Caroline_

_Good times never seem so good_

_I've been inclined to believe they never would."_

The next time Neil Diamond belted out the words, "Sweet Caroline", Mariko about screamed it, and Near chuckled.

"Y'know…" Mariko scooted slightly closer, resting her head on his shoulder. "Caroline's a pretty name."

"Mm hm."

"It's beautiful. You know the other name I think is beautiful, but it's a boy's name?"

"What?"

"James. James is… it's both a baby name, and an adult name. I love it. Caroline… Caroline and James. It sounds nice."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Mariko sat back up and yawned, realizing with shock that the days were going much too quickly. The sun was already beginning to set.

They packed up as usual, but tonight, Mariko left a book, (Taking care that it was NOT a Gideon's Bible.) in the doorway to prop the door open, in case Near wanted to come in.

The icy feeling of being watched, being in danger, ran up her back again.

She turned around cautiously, intending to look at the door, and opened her mouth to scream.

A rag was stuffed into her mouth, over her nose, stinging her eyes.

Then… Floating.

What a nice feeling.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Near awoke to panic.

Everyone was scrambling around like maniacs outside the hallway, shouting to each other, and he shot upward, wondering what was going on. He glanced at the clock. 5:30.

He opened the door cautiously, expecting a fire or a robbery.

Jemma and Ami were scrambling around, and Keila was silently leaning against the hallway.

Nervously approaching Keila, he worked up the nerve to mutter, "What's going on?"

Keila almost screamed, before seeming to realize it was him.

"Milia was kidnapped!"

The words turned his blood to ice.

No.

He couldn't be here.

He _wasn't _here.

He was dead.

He'd been killed by Kira.

He…

He hadn't even…

Near collapsed against the wall, his head spinning wildly. "She can't be kidnapped. There's no way Mariko was kidnapped." He didn't even care about saying her real name out loud any more.

Keila didn't acknowledge it, so Near sat there dumbly, the room spinning around him.

The problem was, he knew who the culprit was.

Everyone just thought he was dead, killed by Kira.

But as made apparent by his previous actions, Beyond Birthday was not dead.

Beyond Birthday was very much alive.

And he had just kidnapped Mariko.

**I have the FUNNIEST idea for an animated video. ; "Crank That" by Soulja Boy, and various other songs, involving other instances. **

**It'd be SO AMUSING. /Dies/ I got very nice, very long reviews last chapter!**

**Zero Knights' in particular made me SQUEEEEE! With joy. (: Thanks guys!**

**--Rem**

**PS - I esimate… Maybe twenty nine, thirty chapters. D: /Dies/ Probably thirty. BUT I SWEAR, THE SEQUEL WILL BE EVEN MORE EPIC THAN THIS ONE! I PROMISE! EVEN MORE THOUGHT WENT INTO IT THAN THIS. O_o**

**Two mysterious guests: /Eh hem…/**

**Author: o_o SOON, SOON! I SWEAR!**

**--Rem**


	27. Black

Mariko stared at him quietly.

Days, it had been.

Days.

Hunger bangs burned through her stomach, making her wince every time she moved.

"I'm not eating." She growled, voice rough and cracked from dehydration.

"Suit yourself." The raven shrugged, ruby eyes glistening.

He had kept her locked in what previously appeared to be a laundry room in an old cottage… house thing. She assumed it was his hideout, she hadn't seen much.

"You know, you can't keep me here much longer." Mariko swallowed, her throat burning. "They'll find me."

"Yeah, they will. They'll find you dead."

Mariko growled.

"Don't look at me that way." He hissed.

"I'll look at you however I want, you malevolent brute!"

A guttural growl escaped him, and before she had even known what happened, there was the sound of flesh hitting flesh sounded through the hair.

Mariko looked up, the handprint on her cheek practically glowing red, entire body trembling from a mixture of shock and fear.

"I told you." He muttered coolly, before turning around.

"Sadist…" Mariko half-hissed, half-whispered.

"What was that?" He turned around and stared at her, seething.

"I called you a sadist. You enjoy my pain, don't you?"

He turned around without a sound and grabbed her by the hair, forcing her to stand. She yelped as he dragged her to the couch and threw her down.

"You want to repeat that?" He growled, still holding a handful of her blue-black hair. Mariko let out a yelp, despite herself.

"That's what I thought!" He hissed, and dove on top of her.

* * *

Near stared dizzily ahead.

"Rest." They had told him.

"It'll be okay." They said.

Fools, it wasn't going to be okay.

Everything was going terribly.

He had passed out in the hallway, from shock and stress.

Everyone had freaked out.

It didn't help that, while he was laying nervously in bed, Keila would poke her head in every couple of seconds.

"Need tea?"

"Water?"

"Need me to fluff your pillows?"

"Wanna talk?"

"Something wrong?"

No, no, no, no, of course something's wrong, you idiot! What are you, stupid?

Just then, as he was contemplating this, Keila walked in, straight past his bed, and began to make tea.

He stared at her for a moment, before sighing and curling up beneath the covers, still shaking.

"You know, you act like she's dead." Keila stated bleakly.

"She probably is."

"I don't think so. There's… Something… Something tells me she's okay. So… Just hold out."

Keila passed him a hot mug of something.

It smelled fantastic, mint and… was that cinnamon?

"Yeah, that's right. Just drink it and relax." Keila smiled, sipping hers. "I knew I'd get through to you."

"You were correct."

Near sighed and relaxed, setting the tea on the stand beside the bed. "I feel terrible, like this is my fault."

"Near, it's not. So don't think that way." Keila's eyes had hardened, and she was staring at him.

Near sighed. "Yeah. Whatever." With those words, he turned around and laid on his side, clearly no longer feeling like discussing anything with her.

Keila sighed and left, leaving the tea, still steaming, on the bedside.

Near curled up under the covers again, needing time to think.

He sighed quietly, and fell once again into darkness.

* * *

He had hurt her before.

But not like this. Never ever like this. Her body was covered with bruises and scars. When he caught the first glimpse of her back, he smirked. "So you still belong to me." He laughed.

Mariko shook heavily. She didn't speak any more.

If she spoke, she was hurt.

It was just a simple fact. An easy one to realize. She stayed silent.

They finally found her one day. She hadn't known how long it had been, but it had been long. And they finally found her.

She stumbled out of wherever it was, no longer caring.

The first person she saw was Near.

The first person whose arms she collapsed into were Near's,

Because at that exact moment, mind fuzzy, trying to understand the panicked shouts and worried cries around her as the ground rushed up to meet her…

Mariko knew something was wrong.

Terribly, terribly wrong.

Even as she spiraled down, toward the ground, and hit it, mind fuzzy, blurry, and uncaring.

Even as she thought she was dying.

**Okay, guys…**

**REVIEW.**

**SERIOUSLY, PLEASE REVIEW.**

**I'm losing some reviews.**

**PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW!**

**--Rem**

**PS - I changed the rating. I was SERIOUSLY pushing it at T, and finally decided to say whatever. I mean, seriously. Rape and shota, and violence. It gets worse and worse as this thing goes on. I may even get new reviewers. But yes, now Signed, mL is rated M. I also changed the genre from Angst and Supernatural to Horror and Supernatural. Angst didn't quite fit. Angst fit the next one. REVIEW! (: It's the least you can do to make a twelve-year-old's Thanksgiving!**

**PSS - Savannah, popsicles are overrated! (o_o Ignore this, people who are not Savannah.)**

**PSSS - This was so short because I left it on my dad's computer for a month and was very impatient… Sorry!**


	28. Caroline

**Ow. I pulled a muscle in dance today. My inner thigh. D^: /Kills someone/**

**Anyway, Ikaru Sentinal had some great questions I'd like to clarify for anyone that had the same confusion. (These were reviews for various chapters, so please keep that in mind, if something's already been clarified.)**

**-Yes, she speaks telepathically to Ryuk. Though she can also speak verbally, she is free to do it any way she likes.**

**-Mariko means "Village Child" c: Not a whole lot of meaning, I stole it from Elfin Lied. Yes. The name Mariko came from a psychopathic killer girl with pink hair and horns. Wahahaha.**

**-Mariko's past /really/ unravels in the sequel, as she begins to slowly figure things out after L's death. With Near and the mystery guest people's help.**

**-To clarify Ryuk's possession of Mariko, she had amnesia when she woke up in an alley. This left a significant amount of space for him to fit in her mind and cause a telepathic bond, allowing them to speak to each other via their own thoughts. En route, Ryuk's eyes were also transferred to Mariko, but only to a certain extent, because he only took up that little ten years of space. (It's complicated, I hope this helped, though. X_x)**

**-Mariko's Shinigami eyes NEVER develop. They stay the same, she can only see initials.**

**- As for the vagueness in who's speaking, that just applies to the simple fact that I was still getting over the shock of my great grandfather's death, and I just kept writing because I felt like it, without reading the words.**

**- Now, whoo boy, have I gotten a whole lot of complaints, comments, questions, inquiries, whatever you want to call them, here I go. WHY IS NEAR EMOTIONAL? The big question. Near is emotional because he is a child. Innocent. Been through little. In the series, he was rather hard and callous. This is BEFORE the series, when he is still innocent and a child that hasn't been through much. Something occurs later on that hardens him and makes him show no emotion. THIS is why Near is emotional.**

**-xD Near defending Mariko from Brad was a very important scene, though it was very short. Those of you who paid attention will be laughing at the irony in the sequel.**

Mariko was vaguely aware that she was in a hospital.

Very, very vaguely.

She heard voices. Saw things. Tiny little details.

Blurry white.

Laying on an uncomfortable bed.

Near.

Oh, Near.

Near was there.

The thought would have brought a smile to her face if she could move.

When finally, she seemed to awake from her slumber.

She moved her foot.

She moved her leg. She opened her eyes.

She looked around.

The hospital room was overkill with flowers, balloons, and even a couple teddy bears.

She blinked in confusion.

"Oh, thank God." A voice gasped behind her.

She recognized it. Near.

She was dressed in hospital scrubs, and she gently sucked in one cheek as she noticed several different needles were sticking out of her. "Near?"

Near sighed. "You've been out for a week."

"A… A week?" Mariko stammered. An entire week…She had been out a full week.

"Yes." Near sighed as his eyes looked downcast.

"What's wrong?"

Near looked at her painfully. "Does your stomach hurt?"

Mariko, startled by the question, looked at him accusingly. Now that he mentioned it, yeah. "Er… Yeah." She sighed.

Near winced. "Mariko… You passed out from malnourishment. When they were doing an examination… they… uh…" He trailed off, a tristful look in his eyes.

"Spit it out." Mariko growled, not feeling up to his stammering.

"They found…"

"What?" Mariko finally snarled.

"Youarepregant."

Once the words were out of his mouth, it took Mariko several seconds for it to sink in. "I'm… I'm… I'm _pregnant?"_Near nodded, wincing. "Two weeks."

Mariko's head sank back into her pillow. "Who… Who's…?" She felt her hands go instinctively to her stomach.

"They don't know yet." Near sighed and shook his head, white hair covering his eyes. The grim atmosphere in the room seemed to leave the two of them in stunned silence. "In three weeks we can know."

"… I don't know whether to be happy or terrified." Mariko sighed.

"Me neither." Near hung his head.

Mariko's gaze softened. "It's alright."

"No, it's not alright. What if this is my child? What if…?" His snowy eyes betrayed his fear.

"If it's your child…" Mariko said slowly, choosing her words with care. "Then he or she will be the most beautiful child alive, to ever live on this earth."

Near's eyes still seemed… dead. Sorry. Apologetic, though his gaze softened slightly.

"Alright." He whispered quietly, though as he said it, a dark wave crashed over Mariko, just as the sedatives and painkillers kicked in.

* * *

Three weeks later…

Misa smiled ever-so-slightly. This doctor was quite obviously taken aback by having her in his room. As the image of the child showed on the screen, Mariko felt her eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

"Mariko," He announced with exaggerated slowness, beginning to put the tools away. "Would you like to know if you child is male or female?"

There was a pause. Anticipated, for sure.

They had done DNA tests. This was most certainly Near's child.

"Yes." She said, voice quiet as she tugged down her shirt from her exposed, and, swelling, stomach.

"You're going to have a little girl."

And then, Mariko grinned broadly. Near, sitting beside Misa, scooped her up and held her for a moment, she was obviously overjoyed.

A girl.

Ah, a wonderful, beautiful girl who would have snow-white hair.

Wonderful.

How wrong they were.

* * *

The hustle and bustle was maddeningly insane.

Oh, but how wonderful would it be to return to that had rented out a house in Los Angeles.

Beyond… He was in jail. For life, at best. With rape, murder, kidnapping, trespassing… Almost any crime imaginable. They were soon going to give him a lethal injection once they had decided, and that was obviously going to be the solution.

When the baby was born, they would move back to Portland. Well, Mariko would move back. Near would just move.

What a wonderful life they would have together… Raising a beautiful, perfect little white-haired angelic girl. Mariko would dream about her perfection at , she was so ivory, snowy ringlets that fell to her waist. Well, Mariko imagined her as a little child. Maybe seven. And she had the most delicate, all-seeing, intelligent eyes that always saw the truth. The only issue was naming her.

Oh, the nights Mariko spent up, trying to figure out would she name her. What was the perfect name?

Before they had discovered that they were having a girl, Mariko had decided on a boy's name. James. James had been what she had presumed to be L's middle name when she had first found an article about him so long ago. She thought it was beautiful. Not Jamie, but James. It was poetic, intelligent, masculine… Strong. The perfect name. Oh, it was beautiful, too.

James Nate Rivers, they would call him.

But they were having a girl, and Mariko, so far, had narrowed it down to three names:

1. Stephenie

2. Katherine

3. Connor

Perhaps the last was a bit masculine, though she absolutely adored it. It was perfect for a girl. Different. Spoken-out. She loved it immensely. Though... Something kept biting at her. Gnawing at her gut. Trying to tell her that none of those were it. The perfect name. It was still impossible to figure it out. What would they name her?

Near kept telling her that the time of remembering it, or figuring it out, would come.

Ryuk seldom spoke. It was oddly silent without his comments. Why not? Oh, he would chuckle every now and then. Clearly, Near was still not used to him. He'd always grow paler than usual when his eyes set on Ryuk.

Mariko was eight months pregnant and had occasionally visited the doctor. Perhaps much less than she should have, in retrospect, yes. She saw him, or her. Whichever it happened to be. But much, much less than they advised. It wasn't all too big of a deal.

When Mariko was around a month from her due date, she sat Near down on the couch. She needed to talk to him. Ryuk snickered, reading her thoughts.

"Near…" She addressed with a sigh, looking around at the rented condominium, and feeling a weak smile come to her lips.

"Yes?"

"Look. In case anything happens-"

Near interrupted her. "Nothing will happen."

"Of course not. But, if by some strange chance, something does… I have left a will in a suitcase under the bed." Mariko sighed. "It covers all my possessions…. Our daughter… Everything. Okay?"

Near sighed. "Look, Mariko. I promise. Nothing will happen to you. I know it won't. In my heart, okay?"

"I wanted to be sure." Mariko added, then stood up to grab a bar of chocolate… Maybe dip it in some orange juice first.

Near sighed, keeping his composure. "Stay down, I'll get it." With that, he stumbled off to the small kitchen nearby. Mariko was rather fond of chocolate bars dipped in orange juice.

Especially recently…

"You didn't tell me your seventeenth birthday was months ago."

"Why should I?" Mariko asked, waiting impatiently as he grabbed the bar of chocolate and poured the juice. "After all, it's our daughter that matters right now."

Then, she blinked. The radio had been blasting maniacally throughout the day, and, of course, on came what they had dubbed 'their song' as most couples would do.

Though it was more special. Their first dance, Mariko's performance the one time… The beach…

_"Sweet Caroline_

_Good times never seemed to good_

_I've been inclined_

_To believe they never would"_

And then, Mariko she screeched out, "Caroline! CAROLINE! That's it, Near! We'll name her Caroline!" Mariko, explicably excited, hopped off the couch and bounced up and down.

"Definitely."Near laughed. "It's perfect. Caroline. I love it. Now calm down."

Mariko smiled and laid back down as Near turned up the radio, passing by it as it sat on the bookcase, filled with books of multiple languages. Then he handed her the requested items.

And, as predicted, just a few weeks later…The day came.

**Okay, I had some serious formatting issues earlier. It deleted a bunch of words, smushed everything into two little paragraphs in the end, made everything bold, then italic, and it was just nasty. Thanks to Bloom Momomiya for pointing it out to me, I would have never seen it!  
Merry Christmas! (:  
--Rem**


	29. James

**Ahhh… The long-anticipated climax of Signed, gotta love it.I've enjoyed the ride, guys.I have a chapter left, then it's over. And then the sequel will be up. Boy oh boy, that will be fun. XDThank you all for sticking with me the entire time. This is going to be great.(:-- Rem**

"I know what you're going to do." Mariko said quietly, staring at Ryuk with an odd expression set on her face. Determination, really.

"Oh really now?"

"Yes."

Mariko was laying on the couch, staring up at the corner as she dipped a chocolate square into a glass of orange juice.

"Then tell me, daughter of L." Ryuk growled gutturally. "What are my plans for the future?"

"You are going to kill me. Kill me in childbirth, yes? I've read the rules. You're going to tire of me soon. And you can only be here six years."

"Good job." Ryuk chortled. "I suppose you're too smart for me."

"I simply saw an opportunity for you to kill me. I would like to tell you I am prepared. I have a will written. I have one question." Mariko said, voice even and calm as her red and black eyes scanned Ryuk thoroughly.

"Oh, I have not tired of you quite yet." Ryuk laughed. "I have plans you'll find out soon enough."

"I have one question." Mariko repeated, slightly irritable now.

"Yes?"

"Will you kill my child?"

Ryuk laughed. "No. Why would I? But there is still… Much for you to find out." He laughed somehow, Mariko sensed knowing in his was it she didn't know?

Then a sharp pain exploded in her stomach and she first hands scrambled for the phone as she dialed Misa.

"MisaMisa! Call a cab!"

* * *

"Sir, I'm seventeen."

The man behind the counter remained skeptical. "Aren't you still a little young? Did you find the right girl? Is she pregnant?"

"Yes, yes, and that's none of your business!" Near snapped back.

"What's your budget?" The man asked with a sigh.

"That would also be none of your business."

"Well, sorry." The man looked annoyed now. "So she's seventeen as well?"

"Yes."

"Good, I was worried she was like, fifteen."

Near gave him a poisonous look. "You're about to lose a customer."

The man sighed, "Fine." He waved his hand. "How many months pregnant?"

"Shut up!"

* * *

Once Near was finally out of that store, the small bag in tote, he got a phone call from Misa.

Misa had come down to help Mariko with shopping for Caroline and when the big day came.

"Near-kuuuun! MariMari's in labor!"

"WHAT?! Why didn't you call me earlier?"

"Well, uhm… My phone died. She's been in labor for a few hours now…"

"Why didn't you call me sooner?"

"My phone died..."

"WHAT? What about the hospital phone?" Near was already running for the rental car like a madman. Misa, the idiot!

"Oh…"

Near groaned loudly. "Amane-san!"

"Sorry!" Misa wailed on the line. "I'm too excited to think!"

Well, Near… Near couldn't blame her. He would be, too… "I'll be there as soon as possible!"

He turned on the emergency blinkers and began to drive, well above the speed limit, down the freeway.

And… He was pulled over.

"Officer, look, my friend is in labor, she's about to have a child!"

"I understand, but you're fourty miles above the speed limit!"

Near groaned. "Fine, can I go?"

"It's a fine of two hundred and fifty dollars."

"Fine, give it to me!

"The officer filled out the ticket with agonizingly slow hand writing, and Near stamped a foot.

"Can we get on with it?" He half-snarled the words, and the officer looked up wordlessly, irritability, though, the smallest, miniscule, minute particle of understanding shown in his eyes.

"Drive safely." The officer sighed and put away his notepad. "Just stay within the speed limit. I'll give you a break. I remember when my wife was in labor."

Near flashed him a look of thankfulness, the emotion burning in his ivory eyes. "Thank you!" He wailed as he started off, just slightly above the speed limit. Fourty five minutes to the hospital, even at his current speed.

Really?

Fifty-five miles an hour and he was fourty five minutes from the hospital. But he hesitated. And he knew that not all of the policemen would be as forgiving and understanding as the last one he had encountered.

Fifteen minutes later, he encountered road work. The alternate path he would take would be another fourty five minutes. An hour and fifteen minutes that would be incredibly long and much more delayed than they should be.

Near stamped a foot and swore, and he also had no doubt in his mind that the people in the car next to, behind, or in front of him thought he was crazy. He tended to get that a lot. It didn't matter any more.

What did he care?  
Holy crap.  
He was about to be a father. The thought swallowed every cell in his body. Reality set in, and he slammed on the gas pedal with amazing force for a young man his size, the car sped up.

That stunt got him plenty of rude gestures, but he didn't care.  
After an, as predicted, agonizingly long hour and fifteen minutes, Near arrived at the hospital.

He ran in, despite being yelled at by a few people, and skidded into the right hospital room. He looked around quickly. Then he smiled softly.

Mariko was laying there, with a small, sleeping infant wrapped in a pink blanket in her arms. The child had a mop of white hair. She looked up and smiled sadly.

Why did she look sad?

Then Near's eyes moved across the room. As if in slow motion, he noticed the small blue bundle Misa was holding. Misa looked pale and horrified, and scared, and upset… Why?

Then he looked closer at the blue bundle to find it was an infant with raven black hair.

Then Near froze.

The infant turned his head and stared at him with ruby eyes.

**Merry Christmas guys!**

**My Christmas Present to you will be the next chapter. I think the thirtieth and final chapter! **

**/Dramatic music/**

**I love you all! Thanks for the ride****!**

**--Rem**


	30. Shinitenshi

Near felt himself go stiff.

Oh God.

Oh God.

Oh God.

Run.

Hide.

Stay.

Help.

The world began to swirl around him.

Oh God.

Beyond's son… Mariko had carried Beyond's son…

But… Also… He looked at Mariko, with the quiet, peaceful sleeping child in her arms.

"C-Caroline…" He felt himself choke out. Mariko nodded warily. "Mariko…" He dropped the bag from the store he had stopped in in the mall, and staggered forward.

Mariko took a shaken, tired breath. She was pale. Very pale. And tired-looking. "Near… I have to tell you something.""Yes?"

"They say… I'm going to die."

Near paled. "You… you…" The blood drained from his face. Strangely, Mariko smiled.

"It'll be alright, Near, I promise. I just… I have a question. What about James?"

For a moment, Near had no idea whom Mariko was referring to, until he say her gesture to the baby wrapped up in Misa's arms, the one with the ruby eyes.

Mariko hesitated. "I promise he… He has no terrible nature about him. He's good… But… He's not yours. The doctor's say he was somehow unidentifiable by some odd means… But… These two…" Mariko sighed. "They're twins, born with different fathers. You have all of the rights to Caroline… What do you want to do about James?"

Near felt sick to his stomach. How could she speak so casually about this? "I.. I.. If you… If you love him…""I do."

"Then… O-okay…"

Mariko smiled slightly. God, how she manipulated him. "Near…" she suddenly sighed and frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't want anything to… I mean… Don't…""Shh." Near picked up his bag and fiddled around with it, fishing out the item he was looking for. He had to do this now.

Pale, stiff, and shaking, near paused and grabbed just what he needed. "Mariko…" He got down on one knee, took a shaken breath, and whispered, "Will you marry me?" as he opened the small box to reveal a rather pricey ring.

Mariko stared at him and gasped. "Y-yes…"

Near grinned softly, as did Mariko, though she murmured, "Near… I… I probably won't live until then." She sighed. "But… A fiancé, that's close enough." She laughed, in spite of herself.

Misa smiled. "I think MariMari has two very pretty children, and one wonderful fiancé."

Near almost laughed bitterly. He was trying to forget James. He had to forget James. Caroline was his daughter, the beautiful daughter that they had wanted. Mariko gently passed up the baby to him, and he cradled it, though awkwardly, and stared down at her perfect face, white curls, and pale skin. She was albino… Yes, but she was perfect. She was absolutely perfect.

Mariko smiled slightly, most likely because she was reflecting his joy.

Near could not remember the rest.

Though Mariko died.

In short, he took the children home, assembled a spare second crib they had had, and for a while, around two months, the three lived in peace, though Near was in mourning. In his mind. It was driving him crazy. The Death Note had disappeared. He wanted to hurt the Shinigami, to kill him far past the realm of death.

Oh, and Beyond. The only problem with him being dead is that he could not be killed over and over again.

Approximately two months after Mariko's death , Near received a knock on the door of their rented house. He had just found an old pair of Mariko's pointe shoes, and, feeling sick, had shoved them back under the bed. Mariko had left everything to him and Caroline. He sighed, stood up, and answered the door.

"Yes?"

He froze at who was standing there. In all his jeans, white-shirted, barefoot, raven-haired glory, stood L.

"I'm coming in now." He announced, brushing past Near and sitting down at an antique dinner table.

Near slammed the door and flamed, "What do you think you're _doing?_"

"We need to talk."

"Yes?"

"Near, you need to become the next L. Mariko was to become the next L before her death, and I warned her that it could happen if you two remained together. I will most likely die soon. You will take my place, and I am asking you to relinquish the children to the authorities immediately."

Near stiffened. "Y-you… What?"

"Did I stutter?"

"No, but… That…"

"Near, it is also in the best interest of James Nate Birthday and Caroline Mari River."

"No! I'll fight you in court for Mariko's children!" Near shouted bitterly. After two months of everything being masked, he was finally letting loose on who? Of all people… His boss, his teacher, and his mentor.

"Fine." L sighed. "Prepare to be in court this August, the 5th. I will see you there."

Near let him leave. Whatever possessed him to let the sadistic little brute so-called detective live, it had to have come from God, because he would have not ordinarily done that.

He sighed, and returned to leafing through old objects.

* * *

So.

This was death.

It was not… unpleasant. Nor was it boring.

If Mariko had been any physical matter at all, she would have shrugged. It wasn't boring. But there was nothing but darkness here. She was not still, she was not rising, she was not falling, she was not moving.

Mariko was everything, yet nothing. No one was here.

Finally, she landed.

She landed hard.

On bad ground.

Really bad ground. As Mariko slipped down a hill on little carnal bits and bones, she groaned and rubbed her side in pain. "Ouchies." She murmured.

"Welcome." Ryuk laughed from behind her, and Mariko started up in surprise.

"Wh-where am I?" She asked, staring around at the near barren wastelands continuing on endlessly around her.

"The Shinigami Realm. Welcome to my world." Ryuk chuckled. "Try to fly. It comes naturally." With barely any effort, Mariko lifted herself off the ground. She then realized later, however, that she had raven wings extending out of her back ."Wha…"

"Look yourself over." Was all Ryuk said.

Mariko, in shock, began to look over herself. She realized with almost delight, that her feet were adorned with black pointe shoes.

With dismay, she realized she was wearing dance clothes underneath a black robe with a red sash. The robe was oddly comfortable. Even worse, she noticed, after trying to follow them with her eyes for a while, she had white cat ears.

"What is this? Some… Some… Some… Lolita convention?" She wailed.

"Calm down. What you're wearing and how you look right now reflect how you lived your life. You're in your earthly body, yes, but you're affected by what happened in your life previously." "But why the cat ears? And why am I here?"

"Cool it with the questions, I'm getting there." Ryuk coughed for a moment, then breathed in, and, in a perfect impression that send shudders through Mariko, murmured, "Neko-chan."

"Fine." Mariko sighed. "You win that one. But… Why am I here? Why aren't I just… Y'know… dead?"

"It looks like my timing was bad, although it was up. My six years were through, but I guess I still got rid of you at a bad time. You're life on earth isn't finished up. So… You'll finish it up here. As a Shinitenshi. Here ya go!" And with that, Ryuk tossed her a black halo, with thorns coming off of it. Mariko caught it, and realized, that, oddly, there was no pain when she held the thorns. It took its place on her head immediately."

"Shinitenshi? Death Angel? Angel of Death? What?"

Ryuk chuckled. "What serves God?"

"Angels."

"Correct. As Shinigami means God of Death, and Shinitenshi means Angel of Death… You serve as my Shinitenshi for the time being."

"Oh… Well… Then… Er…" Mariko was thrown off by her odd surroundings. "What's the difference between them?"

"Between what?"

"Shinigami and Shinitenshi."

"Shinitenshi keep their earthly bodies, and eventually die and go to either Heaven or Hell if they did not use the Death Note. Only do people who had Death Notes become Shinitenshi. They can also become Shinigami, but… Let's not get into it. Otherwise, you're just like a Shinigami, but a little less powerful. You can give out Death Notes and all that. Sadly, I gave your Death Note to a kid named Light in Japan. But I managed to get two for you." He chuckled and chuckled two Death Notes at her. "Choose wisely where you place them."

Mariko nodded and paused. This would be such a stupid and ridiculous question right now, but… "What do I do now?"

"Look down on the human world. Your body will tell you what to do. Oh. Remember, you can fly." And just like that, Ryuk disappeared, leaving Mariko dazed and confused.

* * *

On the 5th of August, Near drove to court.

He showed up in his usual white attire, received several stares, and totally shook it off.

In the end, the court seemed to proclaim what was best for the children.

Near drove home to an empty house.

He took another step into the now childless home.

And another.

And another.

Then slammed the door behind him.

**The End.**

… **I know what you're thinking.**

**Depressing/Cliffhanger/Weird ending, right?**

**Wrong. Sorry for the long pauses between updates, I've been busy with my original works.**

**=D**

**--Rem**


	31. Link

Heyhey, gaiz.

.net/s/6414454/1/Frozen_River_Happy_Birthday

:D


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